Three Sisters

An Indigenous intercropping system that grows maize, beans, and squash together. The crops support one another through structure, soil fertility, and ground cover.

Maize: A tall cereal crop domesticated in the Americas, also known as corn. Its sturdy stalks provide living supports for climbing bean vines.
Indigenous agriculture in the Americas: The diverse farming systems developed and practiced by Indigenous peoples across the Americas. The Three Sisters is one tradition within this much wider agricultural history.
Polyculture: A farming or gardening system that grows multiple plant species together. The Three Sisters is a well-known, carefully structured polyculture.
Milpa: A traditional Mesoamerican farming system that commonly combines maize, beans, squash, and other crops. Milpa shares key crops with the Three Sisters but includes distinct regional practices.
Common bean: A domesticated legume grown for its edible seeds and pods. Its nitrogen-fixing partnerships can enrich soil used by neighboring crops.
Haudenosaunee: A confederacy of Indigenous nations historically based in what is now northeastern North America. Haudenosaunee communities are strongly associated with cultivation and teaching of the Three Sisters.
Agroecology: The study and practice of applying ecological principles to agriculture and food systems. Its emphasis on crop relationships makes the Three Sisters relevant to agroecological design.
Hopi agriculture: Agricultural traditions practiced by the Hopi people in the arid American Southwest. Hopi dryland farming illustrates how Indigenous crop-growing knowledge adapts to local conditions.
Squash: A group of cultivated plants in the genus Cucurbita, grown for edible fruits and seeds. Its broad leaves shade soil and can limit weeds and moisture loss.
Eastern Agricultural Complex: A group of Indigenous North American crops domesticated in the eastern region, including sunflower and goosefoot. It offers a regional comparison for Indigenous crop domestication beyond the Three Sisters.

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