asupaika

Asupaika is a traditional agricultural technique and seasonal festival described in the folklore and ethnographic records of the fictional region of Kalara. In the Kalari language, asu means sun and paika means to hold or preserve, with scholars translating the term as “holding the sun” or “sun-preservation.” The term denotes an integrated farming system that emphasizes soil fertility, water management, and biodiversity.

The technique combines rainwater harvesting, contour planting on slopes, raised-bed modules, agroforestry with nitrogen-fixing trees, and composting with farmyard manure. Planting aligns with the regional rainfall cycle, and fields are mulched with leaf litter to conserve moisture. The system seeks to reduce external inputs while maintaining yields and resilience to drought, by balancing soil health, crop diversity, and livestock integration.

Traditionally, asupaika was organized as a communal effort, with families contributing labor and sharing harvests. The practice is accompanied by a harvest festival featuring feasts, music, and ritual exchanges of seeds. Over the centuries, it evolved alongside changes in land tenure and population, but core principles of soil stewardship and community cooperation remained central.

In modern contexts, asupaika is studied as an example of agroecology in regional ethnographies and sustainability programs. It remains most common in Kalara’s highland and river-valley communities, where revived practice by local farmers and non-governmental organizations emphasizes resilience, biodiversity, and climate-adaptive farming.