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Dietary transitions among three contemporary hunter-gatherers across the tropics

Author

Listed:
  • Victoria Reyes-García

    (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)
    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

  • Bronwen Powell

    (Pennsylvania State University)

  • Isabel Díaz-Reviriego

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

  • Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares

    (University of Helsinki
    University of Helsinki)

  • Sandrine Gallois

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    Leiden University)

  • Maximilien Gueze

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Abstract

The diets of contemporary hunter-gatherers are diverse and highly nutritious, but are rapidly changing as these societies integrate into the market economy. Here, we analyse empirical data on the dietary patterns and sources of foods of three contemporary hunter-gatherer societies: the Baka of Cameroon (n = 160), the Tsimane’ of Bolivia (n = 124) and the Punan Tubu of Indonesia (n = 109). We focus on differences among villages with different levels of integration into the market economy and explore potential pathways through which two key elements of the food environment (food availability and food accessibility) might alter the diets of contemporary hunter-gatherers. Results suggest that people living in isolated villages have more diverse diets than those living in villages closer to markets. Our results also suggest that availability of nutritionally important foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables and animal foods) decreases with increasing market integration, while availability of fats and sweets increases. The differences found seem to relate to changes in the wider food environment (e.g., village level access to wild and/or market foods and seasonality), rather than to individual-level factors (e.g., time allocation or individual income), probably because food sharing reduces the impact of individual level differences in food consumption. These results highlight the need to better understand the impact of changes in the wider food environment on dietary choice, and the role of the food environment in driving dietary transitions.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria Reyes-García & Bronwen Powell & Isabel Díaz-Reviriego & Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares & Sandrine Gallois & Maximilien Gueze, 2019. "Dietary transitions among three contemporary hunter-gatherers across the tropics," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(1), pages 109-122, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:11:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s12571-018-0882-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-018-0882-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Broegaard, Rikke Brandt & Rasmussen, Laura Vang & Dawson, Neil & Mertz, Ole & Vongvisouk, Thoumthone & Grogan, Kenneth, 2017. "Wild food collection and nutrition under commercial agriculture expansion in agriculture-forest landscapes," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 92-101.
    2. Rosinger, Asher & Tanner, Susan & Leonard, William R., 2013. "Precursors to overnutrition: The effects of household market food expenditures on measures of body composition among Tsimane' adults in lowland Bolivia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 53-60.
    3. Reyes-García, Victoria & Menendez-Baceta, Gorka & Aceituno-Mata, Laura & Acosta-Naranjo, Rufino & Calvet-Mir, Laura & Domínguez, Pablo & Garnatje, Teresa & Gómez-Baggethun, Erik & Molina-Bustamante, M, 2015. "From famine foods to delicatessen: Interpreting trends in the use of wild edible plants through cultural ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 303-311.
    4. Samuel Bowles, 1998. "Endogenous Preferences: The Cultural Consequences of Markets and Other Economic Institutions," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 75-111, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Laura Piqué-Fandiño & Sandrine Gallois & Samuel Pavard & Fernando V Ramirez Rozzi, 2022. "Reproductive seasonality in the Baka Pygmies, environmental factors and climatic changes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Stephanie J. Zhu & Tiza Ignatius Mfuni & Bronwen Powell, 2024. "Greater Attention to Wild Foods and Cultural Knowledge Supports Increased Nutrition Outcomes Associated with Agroecology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Isabella Donders & Carles Barriocanal, 2020. "The Influence of Markets on the Nutrition Transition of Hunter-Gatherers: Lessons from the Western Amazon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Simon Lhoest & Cédric Vermeulen & Adeline Fayolle & Pierre Jamar & Samuel Hette & Arielle Nkodo & Kevin Maréchal & Marc Dufrêne & Patrick Meyfroidt, 2020. "Quantifying the Use of Forest Ecosystem Services by Local Populations in Southeastern Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.

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