marta astier | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (original) (raw)

Papers by marta astier

Ecology and Society, 2015

The ability of agroecosystems to provide food ultimately depends on the regulating and supporting... more The ability of agroecosystems to provide food ultimately depends on the regulating and supporting ecosystem services that underpin their functioning, such as the regulation of soil quality, water quality, soil erosion, pests, and pollinators. However, there are trade-offs between provisioning and regulating or supporting services, whose nature at the farm and plot scales is poorly understood. We analyzed data at the farm level for two agroecosystems with contrasting objectives in central Mexico: one aimed at staple crop production for self-subsistence and local markets, the other directed to a cash crop for export markets. Bivariate and multivariate tradeoffs were analyzed for different crop management strategies (conventional, organic, traditional, crop rotation) and their underpinning socioeconomic drivers. There was a clear trade-off between crop yield and soil quality in self-subsistence systems. However, other expected trade-offs between yields and soil quality did not always occur, likely because of the overall good soils of the region and the low to medium input profile of most farms. Trade-offs were highly dependent on farm-specific agricultural practices; organic, traditional, and rotation management systems generally showed smaller trade-offs between yield and soil quality, pest control, and biodiversity than did conventional management systems. Perceived drivers reported by farmers included increasing prices for cash crops, rising costs of inputs, and extreme climatic events (e.g., drought, hail, frost). Farmers did not identify the regulation of soil quality, water quality, soil erosion, pests, or pollinators as important constraints. Although acceptable yields could be maintained irrespective of key regulating and supporting services according to these perceptions, current levels of soil erosion and nutrient runoff are likely to have important negative effects at the watershed scale. Sustainability in both agroecosystems could be increased substantially by promoting alternative practices aimed at maintaining biodiversity, soil quality, and soil retention.

Ciencias

Using the specifi c example, this article shows how traditional agriculture can maintain and enri... more Using the specifi c example, this article shows how traditional agriculture can maintain and enrich the germplasm reserve through acquired agro-ecological knowledge.

A mediados del siglo pasado, existían dos tipos de científicos de la agronomía en México. Unos, q... more A mediados del siglo pasado, existían dos tipos de científicos de la agronomía en México. Unos, que veían una agricultura atrasada y que había, ciegamente, que llevar hacia los avances tecnológicos más modernos. Otros, que salían al campo y exploraban intensivamente los sistemas indígenas y campesinos. El estudiar y dar a conocer la riqueza tanto biológica como humana que albergaban estos sistemas, dio pie a la agroecología en este país. Sobra decir que varios de los pioneros de esa ciencia a nivel mundial, fueron aprendices de sistemas indígenas mexicanos. En este trabajo se hace el esfuerzo por narrar los hitos históricos más importantes en la investigación y la enseñanza de la agroecología en el pasado y en la actualidad; además, hacemos también una reflexión sobre los desafíos que enfrenta esa disciplina.

Ecology and Society, 2012

Journal of Maps, 2010

Please click here to download the map associated with this article.The map presented in this pape... more Please click here to download the map associated with this article.The map presented in this paper is a result of a participatory exercise in maize collection, classification and mapping with farmers from 19 rural communities of the Pátzcuaro and Zirahuén Basins of central western Mexico. It shows evidence of how specific bio-physical factors control maize diversity distribution in a patchwork-like pattern at a regional level, in a mixed ethnic territory with longstanding population settlement for the last 3,000 years. At a regional scale, altitude and soil type are the most important bio-physical factors explaining the distribution of local maize races. These factors, and specific land management strategies, are the main drivers shaping three major agricultural landscapes where local maize races are cropped, maintaining a high genetic diversity.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2011

In view of the urgent need to improve agroecosystem sustainability, several efforts have been mad... more In view of the urgent need to improve agroecosystem sustainability, several efforts have been made to evaluate the effect of alternative strategies on key environmental and socioeconomic variables at the farm, community and regional levels. Most peasant farmers manage complex and diverse agroecosystems, and constantly adapt management strategies with multiple aims. A sustainability evaluation framework for peasant systems has been applied in over 40 case studies in Latin America, from which 15 were analysed, focusing on the choice of indicators, the effect of alternative strategies on agroecosystem sustainability and the trade-offs involved. Common indicators include yields, income, agrodiversity and external input dependence. Alternative strategies include crop/product diversification and soil conservation practices. Yields, income and agrodiversity improved in most cases, but in some cases the establishment costs increased external input use. Trade-offs observed include improved performance of a subsystem (i.e. crops) vs. decreased one in others (livestock, forestry) and increases in productivity vs. decreases in stability, resilience and reliability. The difficulty of assessing systems in transition towards alternative management was acknowledged by some evaluation teams. Applying the framework to such a variety of cases allowed making the sustainability concept operational, promoted alternative strategies and generated knowledge on agroecosystem processes among stakeholders.

International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 2007

This paper focuses on sustainability evaluation and, more specifically, it describes and analyses... more This paper focuses on sustainability evaluation and, more specifically, it describes and analyses the Indicator-based Framework for Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems (MESMIS, its Spanish acronym), ten years after its development. This framework fulfilled a pioneering role by proposing an integrated interdisciplinary approach to assess sustainability of peasant NRMS. Results of a thorough analysis of 28 case studies are presented, to seek improvement to the methods. The MESMIS approach is acceptable to a wide range of systems and to stakeholders; it has greatly assisted in sustainability evaluation and has increased understanding of the complexity of such systems, making it a significant tool for sustainability evaluation. The degree to which MESMIS and evaluation in general was shown to be an effective tool in reaching more sustainable systems depended mainly on the type of participation applied; additional guidance and information on participation is essential. Improvement possibilities are further directed to exploration and incorporation into the framework of 'new' tools that have proved valuable for the monitoring and integration of indicators (i.e. simulation models, linear programming and trade-off analysis), tools capable of assessing effects of management on indicators in the long term and thereby increasing the understanding of system attributes.

Outlook on Agriculture, 2006

trade-off analysis. The system used by most farmers (35% crop residue retention with free-grazing... more trade-off analysis. The system used by most farmers (35% crop residue retention with free-grazing) reduced soil loss substantially, led to self-sufficiency in forage and maximized net income.

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2007

The ecological principles underlying traditional agricultural management practices are not always... more The ecological principles underlying traditional agricultural management practices are not always understood. On the coast of Berisso, Argentina, traditional management practices are applied to ''old'' vineyards located in flood plain areas, subject to periodic floods. Over the last few years, ''new'' vineyards have been planted at slightly higher altitudes, protecting them from river flooding. Despite the ecological differences between the low and high areas, farmers have largely extended traditional management practices to the new vineyards. This study was undertaken to evaluate the risks involved when traditional agricultural management practices are applied to different ecological settings while the underlying ecological principles of those practices are not well understood. The evaluation relies on three distinct sections: (1) assessing the sustainability of a traditional vineyard management system, (2) analyzing its underlying ecological principles and investigating the potential consequences of applying management practices utilized in flood plain zones to higher altitudes. To carry out the evaluation, a methodology based on indicators was used. In particular, an evaluation was developed to examine traditional vineyard management effects on both internal resources, such as soil properties and biodiversity, and external resources, such as nonrenewable energy and water resources. In old vineyards situated within the flood plain, traditional management practices recycle organic matter, preserve biodiversity, provide for an efficient use of nonrenewable energy and ensure a low risk of underground water contamination from pesticides. Furthermore, the soil nutrient balance is maintained via nutrient input from river sediments. In contrast, new vineyards present a negative soil nutrient balance. Our findings thus suggest that traditional management practices are ecologically sound when considered within their original ecological context, but may be inappropriate in new ecological settings. #

Books by marta astier

Ecology and Society, 2015

The ability of agroecosystems to provide food ultimately depends on the regulating and supporting... more The ability of agroecosystems to provide food ultimately depends on the regulating and supporting ecosystem services that underpin their functioning, such as the regulation of soil quality, water quality, soil erosion, pests, and pollinators. However, there are trade-offs between provisioning and regulating or supporting services, whose nature at the farm and plot scales is poorly understood. We analyzed data at the farm level for two agroecosystems with contrasting objectives in central Mexico: one aimed at staple crop production for self-subsistence and local markets, the other directed to a cash crop for export markets. Bivariate and multivariate tradeoffs were analyzed for different crop management strategies (conventional, organic, traditional, crop rotation) and their underpinning socioeconomic drivers. There was a clear trade-off between crop yield and soil quality in self-subsistence systems. However, other expected trade-offs between yields and soil quality did not always occur, likely because of the overall good soils of the region and the low to medium input profile of most farms. Trade-offs were highly dependent on farm-specific agricultural practices; organic, traditional, and rotation management systems generally showed smaller trade-offs between yield and soil quality, pest control, and biodiversity than did conventional management systems. Perceived drivers reported by farmers included increasing prices for cash crops, rising costs of inputs, and extreme climatic events (e.g., drought, hail, frost). Farmers did not identify the regulation of soil quality, water quality, soil erosion, pests, or pollinators as important constraints. Although acceptable yields could be maintained irrespective of key regulating and supporting services according to these perceptions, current levels of soil erosion and nutrient runoff are likely to have important negative effects at the watershed scale. Sustainability in both agroecosystems could be increased substantially by promoting alternative practices aimed at maintaining biodiversity, soil quality, and soil retention.

Ciencias

Using the specifi c example, this article shows how traditional agriculture can maintain and enri... more Using the specifi c example, this article shows how traditional agriculture can maintain and enrich the germplasm reserve through acquired agro-ecological knowledge.

A mediados del siglo pasado, existían dos tipos de científicos de la agronomía en México. Unos, q... more A mediados del siglo pasado, existían dos tipos de científicos de la agronomía en México. Unos, que veían una agricultura atrasada y que había, ciegamente, que llevar hacia los avances tecnológicos más modernos. Otros, que salían al campo y exploraban intensivamente los sistemas indígenas y campesinos. El estudiar y dar a conocer la riqueza tanto biológica como humana que albergaban estos sistemas, dio pie a la agroecología en este país. Sobra decir que varios de los pioneros de esa ciencia a nivel mundial, fueron aprendices de sistemas indígenas mexicanos. En este trabajo se hace el esfuerzo por narrar los hitos históricos más importantes en la investigación y la enseñanza de la agroecología en el pasado y en la actualidad; además, hacemos también una reflexión sobre los desafíos que enfrenta esa disciplina.

Ecology and Society, 2012

Journal of Maps, 2010

Please click here to download the map associated with this article.The map presented in this pape... more Please click here to download the map associated with this article.The map presented in this paper is a result of a participatory exercise in maize collection, classification and mapping with farmers from 19 rural communities of the Pátzcuaro and Zirahuén Basins of central western Mexico. It shows evidence of how specific bio-physical factors control maize diversity distribution in a patchwork-like pattern at a regional level, in a mixed ethnic territory with longstanding population settlement for the last 3,000 years. At a regional scale, altitude and soil type are the most important bio-physical factors explaining the distribution of local maize races. These factors, and specific land management strategies, are the main drivers shaping three major agricultural landscapes where local maize races are cropped, maintaining a high genetic diversity.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2011

In view of the urgent need to improve agroecosystem sustainability, several efforts have been mad... more In view of the urgent need to improve agroecosystem sustainability, several efforts have been made to evaluate the effect of alternative strategies on key environmental and socioeconomic variables at the farm, community and regional levels. Most peasant farmers manage complex and diverse agroecosystems, and constantly adapt management strategies with multiple aims. A sustainability evaluation framework for peasant systems has been applied in over 40 case studies in Latin America, from which 15 were analysed, focusing on the choice of indicators, the effect of alternative strategies on agroecosystem sustainability and the trade-offs involved. Common indicators include yields, income, agrodiversity and external input dependence. Alternative strategies include crop/product diversification and soil conservation practices. Yields, income and agrodiversity improved in most cases, but in some cases the establishment costs increased external input use. Trade-offs observed include improved performance of a subsystem (i.e. crops) vs. decreased one in others (livestock, forestry) and increases in productivity vs. decreases in stability, resilience and reliability. The difficulty of assessing systems in transition towards alternative management was acknowledged by some evaluation teams. Applying the framework to such a variety of cases allowed making the sustainability concept operational, promoted alternative strategies and generated knowledge on agroecosystem processes among stakeholders.

International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 2007

This paper focuses on sustainability evaluation and, more specifically, it describes and analyses... more This paper focuses on sustainability evaluation and, more specifically, it describes and analyses the Indicator-based Framework for Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems (MESMIS, its Spanish acronym), ten years after its development. This framework fulfilled a pioneering role by proposing an integrated interdisciplinary approach to assess sustainability of peasant NRMS. Results of a thorough analysis of 28 case studies are presented, to seek improvement to the methods. The MESMIS approach is acceptable to a wide range of systems and to stakeholders; it has greatly assisted in sustainability evaluation and has increased understanding of the complexity of such systems, making it a significant tool for sustainability evaluation. The degree to which MESMIS and evaluation in general was shown to be an effective tool in reaching more sustainable systems depended mainly on the type of participation applied; additional guidance and information on participation is essential. Improvement possibilities are further directed to exploration and incorporation into the framework of 'new' tools that have proved valuable for the monitoring and integration of indicators (i.e. simulation models, linear programming and trade-off analysis), tools capable of assessing effects of management on indicators in the long term and thereby increasing the understanding of system attributes.

Outlook on Agriculture, 2006

trade-off analysis. The system used by most farmers (35% crop residue retention with free-grazing... more trade-off analysis. The system used by most farmers (35% crop residue retention with free-grazing) reduced soil loss substantially, led to self-sufficiency in forage and maximized net income.

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2007

The ecological principles underlying traditional agricultural management practices are not always... more The ecological principles underlying traditional agricultural management practices are not always understood. On the coast of Berisso, Argentina, traditional management practices are applied to ''old'' vineyards located in flood plain areas, subject to periodic floods. Over the last few years, ''new'' vineyards have been planted at slightly higher altitudes, protecting them from river flooding. Despite the ecological differences between the low and high areas, farmers have largely extended traditional management practices to the new vineyards. This study was undertaken to evaluate the risks involved when traditional agricultural management practices are applied to different ecological settings while the underlying ecological principles of those practices are not well understood. The evaluation relies on three distinct sections: (1) assessing the sustainability of a traditional vineyard management system, (2) analyzing its underlying ecological principles and investigating the potential consequences of applying management practices utilized in flood plain zones to higher altitudes. To carry out the evaluation, a methodology based on indicators was used. In particular, an evaluation was developed to examine traditional vineyard management effects on both internal resources, such as soil properties and biodiversity, and external resources, such as nonrenewable energy and water resources. In old vineyards situated within the flood plain, traditional management practices recycle organic matter, preserve biodiversity, provide for an efficient use of nonrenewable energy and ensure a low risk of underground water contamination from pesticides. Furthermore, the soil nutrient balance is maintained via nutrient input from river sediments. In contrast, new vineyards present a negative soil nutrient balance. Our findings thus suggest that traditional management practices are ecologically sound when considered within their original ecological context, but may be inappropriate in new ecological settings. #