Terraced agriculture in the adaptation to climatic variability in the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico
Por:
Bocco, Gerardo, Solis Castillo, Berenice, Orozco-Ramirez, Quetzalcoatl, Ortega-Iturriaga, Adrian
Publicada:
1 mar 2019
Resumen:
Terrace agriculture in Latin America has existed for millennia. It is
the result of local, traditional knowledge on slope management, and has
adapted to social and environmental change. Agriculture is being
affected by climate variability, i.e. random changes of inter-annual
variation of temperature and precipitation. This variability has
increased with climate change, affecting food security and increasing
poverty over peasant communities that rely on rainfed agriculture. For
agriculture adaptation to climate change, most research attention has
been paid to agroecology and agrobiodiversity management, while the role
of agriculture terracing has been less studied as an adaptation
strategy. The objective of this paper was to determine how terrace
management contributes to the agriculture adaptation to climatic
variability in peasant communities in the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca. Located
in southeast Mexico, this is a very diverse region in terms of geology,
landforms and biotic resources where terrace agriculture has been
practiced for at least 3400-3500 BP. Mixteca Alta is higher than 2000
m.a.s.l., and the climate is temperate with seasonal summer rainfall.
The research method was qualitative, ethnographic and participative,
using semi structured interviews as primary tool. The results of
interviews were grouped in four categories: climate changes and their
impact on the agriculture calendar; productive systems; characteristics
of terraces for agriculture; and social and economic problems of peasant
communities. Interviewees indicated that the main changes have been on
quality and quantity of the precipitation, specifically a decrease in
total rainfall but an increase in rainfall intensity, a delayed onset of
the rainy season and an early start of the midsummer heat. These changes
have resulted in a delay in maize sowing and in an increase in the
potential exposure of crops to frost. Early cultivation of traditional
cajete maize (using residual soil moisture) in terraces was acknowledged
as an efficient practice facing these changes. Interviewees recognized
that terrace flat terrains, with deeper soils and higher residual soil
moisture than sloping soils, allowed for coping with climatic changes
and water scarcity. Cajete maize is part of the cultural heritage of the
indigenous communities in this region, but is being negatively affected
by a double exposure: to climate change and to adverse agricultural
policies that favor large scale market agriculture and neglect family
farming. However, in a context of intense climate change processes, this
traditional farming practice is an important staple source for the rural
population in this region.
Filiaciones:
Bocco, Gerardo:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Invest Geog Ambiental, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Solis Castillo, Berenice:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Invest Geog Ambiental, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Orozco-Ramirez, Quetzalcoatl:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Geog, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Ortega-Iturriaga, Adrian:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
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