Sustainability of agricultural systems of indigenous people in Hidalgo, Mexico

Abstract

Agricultural sustainability depends on complex relationships between environmental, economic and social aspects, in particular with the small farmholders from indigenous communities. This work was centred in two municipalities of Hidalgo State in Mexico, Ixmiquilpan (mainly irrigated systems) and El Cardonal (rainfed systems). Our objective was to understand the relationships between the small farm-holders and their agricultural systems, evaluating their sustainability and design strategies and pathways for the sustainable development for indigenous communities. For this, we applied the Framework for the Evaluation of Management Systems using Indicators (MESMIS, Spanish acronym). Thirty one indicators were identified and quantitative indexes were established to be used to assess sustainability. The results showed that adaptability was a critical factor for both systems, and the main problem identified was youth migration. Additionally, the access to water and economic resources, as well as management of environmental resources, are imperious needs to increase the yield of agriculture crops. Therefore, integral strategies need to take into account the organization of small producers and the combination of indigenous and modern technologies, to design technologies for the territorial development of the communities.