Traditional management of a hillside agroecosystem in Tlaxcala, Mexico: An ecologically based maintenance system

Abstract

Traditional agricultural systems are increasingly being recognized as important examples of ecologically sustainable production methods and as such deserve agroecological attention. In a study of terrace agriculture in Tlaxcala, Mexico, the authors identify several management features which have been used for as long as three thousand years. The theoretical approach employs the notion of open versus closed agroecosystems for examining soil and water management, species diversity, and nutrient cycling. In the traditional system, conservation of existing resources is the distinctive feature whereas, with modern techniques, the emphasis is on replacement. The most distinctive feature of the Tlaxcalan agroecosystem is the terrace/cajete complex which serves to contain heavy downpours and trap eroded soil, ensures diversity of plant species, and traps and concentrates nutrients. The functioning of this traditional system is endangered by new management strategies that have responded to external political, economic and social pressures for change. This article discusses the ecological repercussions of these new practices and suggests ways that appropriate elements may be integrated to promote the sustainability of food production.

Los sistemas agroforestales tradicionales de México: Una aproximación biocultural

“…Los magueyes represan y colectan agua de lluvia, ayudan a la escorrentía, mientras que sus hojas se emplean como abono y combustible (Altieri y Trujillo, 1987). Las diversas especies de magueyes que se encuentran en los metepantles tienen múltiples usos: (1) preparación de bebidas como aguamiel, pulque y el mezcal; (2) hábitat de especies valoradas local y regionalmente, y que son consumidas y comercializadas, como los gusanos blancos de maguey que se producen en temporada de secas, los gusanos rojos conocidos como chiloquitl, y los gusanos amarillos que llevan de nombre nixtamal; (3) fi bras para elaborar lazos, collares y sostenes de los animales; (4) utensilios como agujas, elaboradas a partir de sus espinas, y mixiotes para sostener la carne que se prepara con este nombre; (6) comestible, por sus fl ores que son consumidas como verduras y sus tallos cocidos denominados mezcal; (6) en la construcción, pues sus quiotes se utilizan como vigas y postes; (7) para la obtención de un tipo de material combustible a partir del maguey seco llamada mesontete (Donkin, 1979;Altieri y Trujillo, 1987;Wilken, 1987;Mountjoy y Gliessman, 1988;Evans, 1990;Rojas Rabiela, 1991;Whitmore y Turner II, 2001;Magdaleno et al, 2005;González-Jácome, 2011).…”

“…Los árboles y arbustos como nopales, tejocotes, capulines y duraznos son valorados principalmente por sus frutos y semillas comestibles. En el caso de los capulines, los campesinos distinguen dos clases, los de las semillas suaves y pequeñas, las cuales son asadas, saladas y comercializadas, y los de frutos grandes que son los preferidos para ser consumidos como fruta de temporada y para el dulce de capulín (Altieri y Trujillo, 1987;Wilken, 1987;Mountjoy y Gliessman, 1988;Evans, 1990;Rojas Rabiela, 1991). En el nopal, los campesinos distinguen cuatro tipos diferentes, de los cuales no se han identifi cado sus especies, estos son el nopal tuna tapona, nopal cimarrón, xocayontle y nopal cultivado.…”

Vegetated Field Margins in Mexico: Their History, Structure and Function, and Management

“…Terrace systems were abandoned in many places, because there were not enough people to maintain them. However, some survived and are in use today in places like Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Puebla, Chiapas, Michoacan, Oaxaca, and the Basin of Mexico (Donkin, 1979;Mountjoy and Gliessman, 1988;Patrick, 1977Patrick, , 1985. Patrick (1977) describes metepantli terraces that are still in use in the State of Tlaxcala.…”

“…They divide the land into smaller fields; define land ownership; reduce erosion rates; aid in the fertilization of the fields; produce fruits, flowers, medicinal plants, sap, fodder, and wood; protect crops from cattle and other animals; serve as corrals; provide shade; and function as habitat for game and other wildlife, including several species that are of indirect benefit to humans. Despite their abundance and importance, they have not been studied in much detail, and there are only a few published studies that consider their function in relation to humans and/or wildlife in Mexico (Estrada et al, 1997;Estrada and Coates-Estrada, 2001;Mellink, 1991a,b;Mountjoy and Gliessman, 1988;Nabhan and Sheridan, 1977;Quintero-Marín and García-Hernández, 1993;Villaseñor and Hutto, 1995).…”

Determining the spacing of ridge terraces on arable land in central and south-western Poland

“…It is one of the oldest means of saving soil and water (Dorren and Rey 1998, Patro et al 2008, Schönbrodt-Stit et al 2013. Moreover, it is the most widely used soil conservation practice throughout the world (Hanway and Lafl en 1974, Mountjoy and Gliessman 1988, Sutikto and Chikamori 1993, Franti et al 1998, Ruecker et al 1998, Quine et al 1999, Kasai et al 2001, Yi et al 2017. Nowadays, terracing is still, in many cases, promoted as being the best management practice for effective soil and water conservation (Ramos and Porta 1997, Wheaton and Monke 2001, Hussain et al 2016.…”