Cain and Abel in the Heaven of Water Cooperation

In the biblical book of genesis, sons of Adam and Eve are said to have been respectively farmer and shepherd whose relationship had something to do with their jobs. A row brewed between the brothers when God rejected Cain’s offering which was the fruit of soil, but Abel’s sacrifice – a sheep – was accepted. This story is an interesting metaphor to describe the situation of the Abarkooh basin whose upstream is occupied by nomads with an economy mostly based on animal husbandry, but its downstream is populated by sons of Cain, whose economy is dependent on agriculture. Before the advent of modernity, both communities were equally favored by God and they used to live in perfect harmony with each other. The different geographical conditions across the basin drove each to occupy a particular niche most suited to their livelihood. The upstream enjoys porous and highly permeable soil which does not favor irrigated farming, plus good pastures and abundance of water. This condition attracts the people who live off livestock and animal husbandry. On the other hand, the downstream lacks that amount of water and good pastures, but it has a fertile soil ideal for irrigation. This condition is to the farmers’ liking, of course, if the upstream people let the water flow down. Water demands in upstream and downstream economies used to be in sync, because of their structural differences matching their geographical differences. This chapter shows how geographical diversity can lead to an environmental justice in terms of shared water resources, if our economies would be configured in compliance with geographical possibilities.