Simplification of the structure and diversity of cocoa agroforests does not increase yield nor influence frosty pod rot in El Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico

López-Cruz, Angelita; Pinto, Lorena Soto; Salgado-Mora, Marisela G; Huerta‐Palacios, Graciela

doi:10.1007/s10457-020-00574-7

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…AFS have undergone simplification of structure and agrobiodiversity, as shown by the dominance of some plant genera, shade species, and uses as well as a reduction in the number of strata, tree densities and coffee plant densities, as previously reported for coffee and cocoa agroforests, homegardens, and milpas (Moguel and Toledo, 1999;Belchier et al, 2005;Soto-Pinto et al, 2013;Soto-Pinto et al, 2014Benítez et al, 2020;Escobar-Colmenares et al, 2021;López Cruz et al, 2021), which demonstrates similarities between food forests and anthropized forests (Moguel and Toledo, 1999;Belchier et al, 2005;Ford and Nigh, 2009;Van Dooren et al, 2018). All these AFS are within forest environments and have often been established as part of these ecosystems.…”

Section: Contradictions Between Agrobiodiversity and Food Consumption By Peasant Familiesmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…However, due to a reduction in coffee prices, fungal diseases (Monilia sp. in cocoa agroecosystems and coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) in coffee systems), campesinos are eliminating associated vegetation under the misguided idea that shade is causing fungal diseases, although traditional agricultural practices and scientific results suggest the possibility of reconciling shade vegetation with cocoa and coffee production (Vaast and Somarriba, 2014;Schroth et al, 2016;Armengot et al, 2020;Haggar et al, 2021;López Cruz et al, 2021).…”

Section: Contradictions Between Agrobiodiversity and Food Consumption By Peasant Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These changes impact people's relationships among each other and with their environment, as well as value chains and human and environmental health (Hermann et al, 2009;Benítez et al, 2020). While such changes occur gradually, over time they have led to deforestation as well as loss of biodiversity, food sovereignty, food security, and ecosystem services López Cruz et al, 2021;Pantera et al, 2021). Furthermore, they are associated with increased social, economic, and political dependence on other external sectors (Giraldo, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ejido is a form of land tenure -a communal resource-holding institution where a community was granted land by the federal government-. The ejido land is regulated by an assembly and individually managed by each farmer (often through family decision making(López Cruz et al, 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Contributions of Agroforestry Systems to Food Provisioning of Peasant Households: Conflicts and Synergies in Chiapas, Mexico

Soto‐Pinto¹,

Colmenares²,

Kanter³

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Traditional agroforestry systems are widely recognized for their contributions to provisioning, support, regulation, and cultural services. However, because of the advancement of industrial agriculture and a corporative food system, peasants' food systems are rapidly undergoing transformation. We identify the contributions of four types of agroforestry systems (AFS)—shade cocoa agroforest, shade coffee agroforest, milpas and homegardens—to food provisioning in peasant families and discuss conflicts between traditional food systems and the contemporary industrial model of production and consumption confronted by peasants and semi-proletarian migrants. We carried out research in 17 peasant communities in Chiapas, Mexico, and conducted 97 semi-structured interviews and agroecological inventories with peasant families, and 15 interviews with semi-proletarian families laboring in shade-grown coffee plantations. Thirty-nine weekly food diaries were applied in two communities. We recorded 108 plant species belonging to 49 botanic families. These species play an important role as sources of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. Despite the extraordinary agrobiodiversity of peasant agroecosystems, peasant families (PF) are changing their AFS' structure, composition and functions due to the influence of agribusiness, global markets, and public policies that orient changes in production and marketing, which in turn devalue local food, agrobiodiversity, and knowledge. Changing perceptions regarding the value of “good food” vs. “food of the poor” and competition over land use between traditional and modern systems are driving changes in diet, food sources, and health of PF who are including industrialized foods in their diets, driving changes in consumption patterns and affecting human health. For semi-proletarian migrants laboring in coffee plantations, land access in and outside of the plantation and strengthening social networks could mean access to healthier and culturally appropriate foods. While peasants have historically responded to market and household needs, articulating both activities to satisfy family needs and provide income is limited. This work highlights the urgent need to acknowledge the non-monetary value of local foods, agrobiodiversity, local knowledge, community building, and the need to work towards securing land access for landless workers in Latin America.

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Section: Contradictions Between Agrobiodiversity and Food Consumption By Peasant Familiesmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Contradictions Between Agrobiodiversity and Food Consumption By Peasant Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contributions of Agroforestry Systems to Food Provisioning of Peasant Households: Conflicts and Synergies in Chiapas, Mexico

Soto‐Pinto¹,

Colmenares²,

Kanter³

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…Nevertheless, there are other peasants that don´t use those biotic resources for selfconsumption or sale even if they know their uses (Bautista-Mora et al, 2016). Finally, the incomes generated by the cacao production can be complemented with other activities, like other crops, salaried work on the cities and the commerce (Chávez- García, 2012, Díaz-José et al, 2014, Hernández-Gómez et al, 2015, López-Cruz et al, 2021.…”

Section: Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cacao Agroforestry Systems and Resilience: Potential Factors in the Face of the Climate Change in Mexico

Fisher-Ortíz

Rodríguez‐Robles

Maya

et al. 2022

Trop Subtrop Agroecosyst

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Background: The cacao agroforestry system (Cacao-AFS) is a small-scale design system with a great diversity and multiple functions; at the same time that is very vulnerable to the climatic variability. Through resilience is possible to see, how does a system respond and/or reorganize in the face of a perturbation like climate change. This work makes a review of Cacao-AFS and analyzes its potential resilience to climate change. Methodology: A review of the state of the art about the cacao system and its resilience had been organized from an analysis of 249 works consulted from bibliographic bases. The information was codified in six factors (scientific and contemporaneous knowledge, agrobiodiversity, socioecological autoregulation, capital, and social self-organization) and climate change implications, and finally evaluated through a matrix. Results: Through the review of the literature, it was found that there is a great adaptive capacity because scientific innovation and contemporaneous knowledge it generates different actions to solve some problems of the system. Also, it was found that there is a great agrobiodiversity in the system that allows the socioecological reproduction of the system (autoregulation). On the other hand, the system is low rentable and the young people don`t want to incorporate to the activity (low capital) and the social actors don´t use to cooperate (low self-organization). Implications: It was found that there are some aspects that favor the resilience of cacao system and others that need to be improved. To improve the resilience of the Cacao-AFS to climate change it is necessary to create spaces for the self-organization of the different actors and the knowledge dialogue, and to make a transition to more just and agroecological schemes. There are still some parts of the systems and their resilience that had not been totally investigated, like the local responses of the communities to climate change, the immaterial life of the cacao peasants, their inter-familiar and inter-community links, the environmental history of the cacao system, the functional and respond biodiversity and holistic economic diagnostics. Conclusions: The cacao system had some elements that indicate some degree of resilience to the climate change. The cacao system is resilient to climate change in some factors and not resilient in others. Their investigation is a fertile field to make multi and interdisciplinary studies.

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An Overview of Agroforestry and its Relevance in the Mexican Context

Diemont¹,

Soto‐Pinto²,

Jiménez‐Ferrer³

2021

North American Agroforestry

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Simplification of the structure and diversity of cocoa agroforests does not increase yield nor influence frosty pod rot in El Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Contributions of Agroforestry Systems to Food Provisioning of Peasant Households: Conflicts and Synergies in Chiapas, Mexico

Contributions of Agroforestry Systems to Food Provisioning of Peasant Households: Conflicts and Synergies in Chiapas, Mexico

Cacao Agroforestry Systems and Resilience: Potential Factors in the Face of the Climate Change in Mexico

An Overview of Agroforestry and its Relevance in the Mexican Context

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