Agriculture and pastoralism: a subsistence economy
🌾 Historical context
Until around the mid-twentieth century, the economy of the Valle Maira rested solely on agriculture and pastoralism – essentially a subsistence economy.
🧺 Self-provisioning and subsistence
Each family cultivated rye, barley, potatoes and wheat on their own plots; these products – together with vegetables from the garden, eggs, milk and dairy derivatives – had to sustain the household for the entire year.
👨🔧👩🧵 Family roles
All members contributed: men, in the time free from fieldwork, made furniture and tools or repaired shoes; women, in addition to managing the home and the fields, raising children and caring for the elderly, spun wool, knitted jumpers and socks, made blankets and mattresses, and mended clothing.
♻️ Reuse and the absence of waste
Everything was reused until completely worn out; waste production was almost non-existent, since even food leftovers became feed for domestic animals.