Open AccessThe spectre of historical crop losses: Challenging questions and methodological issues
Author(s) -
Ana Isabel Queiroz,
Inês Gomes,
Inês Amorim
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
historia agraria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2340-3659
pISSN - 1139-1472
DOI - 10.26882/histagrar.082e02q
Subject(s) - damages , context (archaeology) , relevance (law) , climate change , agriculture , food security , adaptation (eye) , agricultural productivity , face (sociological concept) , political science , environmental resource management , natural resource economics , social science , sociology , history , economics , psychology , ecology , archaeology , neuroscience , biology , law
Calamities in agricultural production have emerged as a relevant research topic for global food security in the current context of adaptation to climate change. Historians have been participating in this research by examining crop losses in the past. However, they face challenging questions and methodological issues when evaluating the magnitude, intensity and social relevance of damages caused by adverse climate events and plant pests and diseases.This paper presents a review of some aspects that lead to harvest failures, along with three case studies involving Portuguese territories in modern times, based on the scientific interest and research of the authors. A few methodological considerations are also provided concerning decryption and the use of available data, to help avoid misinterpretations in future research on the topic.