In the famed tradition of the University of California's Berkeley School under the leadership of Carl O. Sauer, William M. Denevan has made, over a period of some fifty years, an outstanding contribution to the cultural geography and native “cultivated landscapes” of the tropical Andes and Amazonia. In particular, his magnificent and ground-breaking research-based and tireless field investigations on native cultivation and its associated techniques have earned him international scholarly acclaim, and beyond that, attention and recognition from an educated society. This book is most timely and important in an age of seemingly divergent economic trends in Latin America: of profit-maximizing modern and large-scale agriculture on the one hand and, at the same time, of a search for alternative and sustainable forms of agriculture, a rediscovery of the “saber andino,” and a return to proven traditional agricultural techniques and strategies.

The editors of the trilogy of books on cultivated landscapes, including this volume along with those by Doolittle (2001) and Whitmore and Turner (2002), must be praised for this state-of-the-art documentation and synthesis of pre-European native landscapes and traditional agricultural field systems and cultivation techniques. In Denevan's words, “we can profitably learn from the agricultural achievements of the pre-European Native Americans and their descendants” (p xv). Furthermore, the editor likes to demonstrate that native farmers “were and continue to be technologically sophisticated, diverse in field systems, ecologically knowledgeable, and substantially productive, although also capable of major environmental change” (p xv).

Denevan modestly refers to the book as being, to a large extent, a reference work, with a considerable amount of description supported by extensive references (p xv). Indeed, the reference section, listing 856 titles with contributions from many disciplines and published in 6 different languages, is wide-ranging and gives access to an invaluable store of knowledge. It includes relevant literature from the entire 20th century. However, references to research published in Portuguese and German are scarce. An extensive table on cultivated plants of South America, including their common and local names, their botanical classification, and their locational occurrence and use, is given in the appendix and appears particularly useful. However, this book is more than a mere collection of previously published research. Some chapters include revised, expanded and updated material; others contain a synthesis of a wide range of existing literature or present new research. The book's 15 chapters are organized in 5 major parts: 1) Introduction: Fields and Associated Features; 2) Amazonian Cultivation; 3) Andean Irrigation and Terracing; 4) Raised and Drained Fields; 5) Conclusion. They are well complemented not only by the ample list of references, but also by 83 figures, 5 tables, 2 appendices, and an extensive index.

In the introduction, Denevan gives an overview of research on native cultivated landscapes in the Americas. He proposes a classification of “agricultural landforms” and field types, and discusses traditional field tools and “soft” agricultural techniques. The section on Amazonian cultivation documents the intriguing diversity of Amazonian habitats and field systems and discusses pre-European riverine and forest cultivation, with special reference made to case studies of different historic and contemporary agricultural systems. Against the background of the environmental diversity and the tradition of Andean cultivation, the part on Andean cultivated landscapes provides an in-depth presentation of different forms of Andean irrigation, which is “highly diverse, complex and innovative, reflecting sophisticated water-management skills” (p 135). Here, as in the following chapter on terraced fields, Denevan resorts to his accumulated wealth of empirical research experience in different Andean settings. In particular, the impressive prehistoric Chicame–Moche Intervalley Canal in northern Peru is presented to illustrate the intricate highland–lowland water management systems in the Andes and adjacent areas. Appropriately, in discussing terrace agriculture, Denevan portrays the spectacular terraced landscapes of the Colca Valley in southern Peru, including their origin, changing forms and abandonment, especially that of non-irrigated terraces.

In addition to Andean irrigation and terracing, indigenous traditional agriculture also relied on a variety of “raised field” and “ditched field” techniques practiced in both highlands and lowlands. Referring to these traditional cultivation methods, Denevan's research has to be considered a pioneer contribution. In the conclusion, the author discusses changing perceptions of Indian agriculture, including some of his own changing assessments over the past 40 years. This section also summarizes some of the basic related research questions and concepts, such as the persistence and even revival of Indian field technology and the abandonment or survival of cultivated landscapes; the important role of traditional knowledge; and the basic issues relating to environmental constraints, carrying capacity, degradation, and sustainability. Finally, some similarities and differences between Andean and Amazonian field systems are presented. This part would have merited a more detailed elaboration.

One of the book's central messages is that “in terms of agroecological understanding and complex management of landscapes and environmental variables, these (traditional) field systems are the equal of modern ‘scientific’ agriculture” (p 306). The book is a major contribution to multidisciplinary historical-cultural research on the Andes and Amazonia and, beyond that, provides a stimulating framework for successful development cooperation in Latin American agriculture and rural livelihoods. Not only is it a rich source for studying the cultural heritage of indigenous agriculture and a testimony to the author's impressive research contribution; it could and should also be an incentive for continued scholarly activity on a fascinating topic.