In the steep, dizzying slopes of the Andes, local communities are feeling the full force of climate change: water is running out. As their ancestral way of life comes under threat, a glimmer of hope rises from the past. More than 600 years ago, facing similar climatic conditions, the people of the Andes pioneered sustainable agricultural systems that allowed the Inca Empire to flourish.

Together with experts and local communities, British archaeologist Kevin Lane is working to rediscover the agricultural techniques that once enabled pre-Columbian societies to overcome climate stress. By studying and reviving this ancient knowledge, this extreme-field archaeologist is striving to help Andean populations resist the climate-driven exodus now unfolding.