Reassessing the LIS approach to traditional knowledge: learning from Xochimilco, Mexico city

Abstract

PurposeThe study aims to understand the nature of traditional knowledge by examining how it is used and reinvented in the context of Xochimilco in Mexico City.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on field site visits and focus group interviews.FindingsTraditional knowledge was being reinvented in two contrasting ways. One was based on heritage tourism drawing on syncretism between Aztec and Spanish culture in the formation of Xochimilco. The other was agro-ecological focussed on traditional farming practices on the chinampas, their productivity, their ability to sustain biodiversity and their link to social justice. There were some common elements, such as a passionate concern with retaining a valued past in the face of growing threat.Research limitations/implicationsTraditional knowledge is often seen as a static heritage, under threat. But it also has the potential to be a fertile source of strong identities and sustainable practices.Originality/valueThe paper helps to conceptualise the dynamic character of traditional knowledge.

La difusión de la cultura chinampera en niños de la Ciudad de México: impulsando una iniciativa de innovación social

“…Entre las actividades relacionadas con el desarrollo económico está la generación de autoempleos a partir de la sustentabilidad de la chinampería, un sistema de producción único en el mundo que se basa en el conocimiento tradicional de los habitantes agricultores (Cox et al, 2020). El sistema de la chinampa permite la siembra, cosecha y venta de productos orgánicos como frutas, verduras, hortalizas, plantas y flores; así como derivados de la leche y de la miel.…”

Identifying Urban Agriculture Needs and Challenges for the Implementation of Green Labeling in Xochimilco, Mexico

“…For this and other megacities, generating and implementing strategies that strengthen resilient and sustainable food production and distribution systems, in the face of future pandemics and other disruptive phenomena (i.e., earthquakes) are critical. Xochimilco system contains the last remnant of the lake system that once occupied the Basin of Mexico (Cox et al, 2020). These remaining wetlands are critical ecosystems for the local hydrological cycle and the dynamic equilibrium between precipitation, run-off, evaporation, and infiltration of the metropolitan area (Romero Lankao, 2010).…”

“…These remaining wetlands are critical ecosystems for the local hydrological cycle and the dynamic equilibrium between precipitation, run-off, evaporation, and infiltration of the metropolitan area (Romero Lankao, 2010). At the South of the Basin, Xochimilco's wetland system still holds chinampas, a unique and ingenious food system dating from pre-Hispanic times (Jiménez-Osornio, 1995;Eakin et al, 2019;Cox et al, 2020) and one of the most diverse and productive agroecosystems in the world (Armillas, 1971;Jiménez-Osornio, 1995). Nowadays, this traditional practice supports sustainable intensive cultivation (Merlín-Uribe et al, 2013).…”

“…Chinampas are bordered by "ahuejotes" (Salix bonplandiana, a native willow), which perform multiple functions, including live fences, wind, and insect barriers, and hold soil within the plots. The lakes and canals may reduce temperatures by as much as 2 • C (Cox et al, 2020). This food production system reduces greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., Rakotovao et al, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, promoting local consumption (vegetables from chinampas) favors practices such as crop diversification, agrobiodiversity conservation, and sustainable management of countless ecosystem benefits. Likewise, as the food production system in chinampas is high (Cox et al, 2020), it ensures food access in the short term for citizens in case of extreme events such as pandemics or earthquakes (FAO, 2020b;Gliessman, 2020;HLPE, 2020) and violent conflicts (Brück et al, 2019;FAO, 2021).…”