Traditional communities and dietary habits: understanding the dynamics of food and climate change in the western Himalayan region
ISSN: 0007-070X
Article publication date: 14 July 2022
Issue publication date: 21 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The present exploratory study aimed (1) to explore the traditional dietary habits of local communities, (2) to analyze the shift in traditional eating practices and (3) to examine the changes observed in socio-cultural beliefs system due to climate change.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study was conducted with purposive sampling of 210 households in the select ten villages of the western Himalayan region. Open-ended interview questionnaires and a close-ended survey on a 5-point Likert scale are used. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 is used for the exploratory factor analysis. Further, Atlas-ti version 8 is also employed for thematic analysis.
Findings
The exploratory and thematic analysis illustrated that socio-ecological beliefs are crucial in food choices, but cultural beliefs are also changing due to climate change. Thus, the shift in socio-cultural beliefs can significantly affect the nutritional security of the indigenous societies during climate-induced emergencies in the mountain regions.
Practical implications
Therefore, the findings of the study are significant for a comprehensive understanding of the traditional dietary practice of the indigenous community for an evidence-based inclusive food security and climate change adaptation policy.
Originality/value
The inclusion of cultural practices is evident for ensuring the nutritional security. But, the magnitude of the climate-induced impacts on customary societies is not yet fully understood. Thus, the current study was conducted.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee community for providing access to all necessary resources. And special thanks are due to Ms. Priya (Senior Research Fellow at IIT Roorkee) for her valuable feedback.
Funding: Not applicable.
Disclosure statement: The author declares no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship and publication of the study.
Competing interest: There is no competing interest in the current article.
Citation
Das, S. and Mishra, A.J. (2023), "Traditional communities and dietary habits: understanding the dynamics of food and climate change in the western Himalayan region", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 4, pp. 1335-1354. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2021-1270
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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