Rural-Urban Cactus Production - A Biosemiotic Study (original) (raw)
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Bio-cultural anchorage of the prickly pear cactus in Tlalnepantla (Morelos), Mexico
Culture & History Digital Journal, 2016
The prickly pear cactus is a source of food with strong bio-cultural anchorage in Mexico. This is due to at least three factors: 1) the nature and heritage of cacti; 2) cultural heritage; and 3) the socio-cultural relationships with historical and symbolic roots that have facilitated knowledge of how to cultivate it and how to use it. The aim of this article is to put factors of territorial anchorage and its historical transformation in context by examining the case of the municipality of Tlalnepantla in the state of Morelos, Mexico. This community has experienced accelerated change due to the exchange of traditional crops for the prickly pear cactus and the integration of farming, commercialization and agro-transformation. Our hypothesis is that the market, internal conflicts and a lack of socio-institutional coordination have put social organization into crisis, favoring the territorial spread of the prickly pear cactus and making the Local Agro-Food Systems (LAFS) of Tlalnepantla less competitive. The conclusions highlight important economic and social advances whose roots lie in the strengthening and anchorage of the territory-product. However, circumstances both internal and external to the community persist, such as intra-community conflicts, the international market and cultural paradigm shifts that affect the producers and put consolidation of the LAFS at risk.
Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, 2017
A study of prickly pear was carried out with 100 producers of the fruit using a semi-structured survey to ascertain the nature of cultivation and economic environment. The Prickly pear region includes an area of 12,000 ha, planted with prickly pear variety Opuntia amiclaea, Opuntia violacea and Opuntia matudae. The size of the orchard in the villages studied was of 1-20 ha, with a predominance of 1-3 ha. The productive life for the prickly pear orchard varied between 20 and 60 years. The cow manure is used as a source of organic matter and the dose applied depends on the amount of organic wastes produced by the cattle and age of the cactus (an estimated 500 t ha-1). The average volume of fruit production per ha is 10 to 15 t of prickly pear. In economic analysis of gross margin was U.S. $ 1,920.00 per ha, each farmer obtained an average annual gross income of $ 5.376 for an average production. 44.7% (U.S. $ 12.672 million) of these profits are distributed initially in the population, by way of inputs and labor. Sustainability factors equivalent to providing environmental services are discussed.
Agroforestry systems (AFS) derived from the cactus forest ''chichipera'' and cultivated with ''milpa'', the traditional multi-crop system of maize-beans-squash were studied in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. Plant management types practiced by people, role of agricultural and forest resources in households' subsistence, and consequences of changes in AFS were investigated through ethnobotanical, ecological, and economic approaches. People maintain in this AFS 122 plant species that provide useful products for 14 different purposes. Nearly 90% of useful plants are native to the region, representing 54% of all plant species recorded in the chichipera forest. Management strategies were identified occurring on 63 species at landscape, parcel, and individual plant levels. About 67% of managed plant species are left standing during clearance of vegetation; 35% are transplanted to the parcels' surrounding area, 32% receive particular protection, and 10 species from other areas are cultivated inside the fields. During years of higher rainfall (*745 mm) AFS supply nearly 75% of the maize grain and 50% of the maize straw used as fodder by households. AFS with intermediate vegetation cover have higher economic value than monocultures and forest. However, plots with low forest cover and monocultures are progressively more common as consequence of socio-cultural processes. Local traditional ecological knowledge and management techniques are crucial for managing resilience of these AFS.
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico
Economic Botany, 2009
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán–Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.
2013. Cactus Nurseries and Conservation in a Biosphere Reserve in Mexico
Ethnobiology Letters, 2013
Documenting how socio-ecosystem conservation knowledge and practice arise and are modified are issues of ethnobiological interest. In the Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve (RBBM), plant nurseries, some of which were created as Environmental Management Units (UMAs), have been established to grow and conserve cacti. This paper describes these nurseries, their role in cactus conservation, and the benefits and limitations for the people managing them. The nurseries have helped decrease illegal traffic in cacti and have enabled ex situ conservation of 22 cacti species. Cactus management has changed from extraction to cultivation, as a result of the knowledge and actions of multiple actors. The main limitation is marketing, a recurring problem for non-timber forest products (NTFP). Greater coordination among stakeholders is recommended, such as involvement by non-governmental organizations to improve their probability of success, as well as learning from the experience of other cactus UMAs. Improving the market for cacti is an issue that needs an immediate solution; otherwise conservation efforts could relapse.
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico 1
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán–Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.
Agro productividad del maíz nativo en la zona indígena de Chicontepec, Veracruz, México
Revista de Geografía Agrícola
Chicontepec Veracruz, México, es un municipio con población indígena altamente marginada, dedicada al cultivo del maíz nativo, pero a pesar de estar posicionado entre los más importantes del país, presenta rendimientos por hectárea muy por debajo del promedio nacional de 2.18, lo que ha ocasionado que el cultivo, más que comercializarlo, forme parte sustantiva de la subsistencia alimentaria. Es por ello, por lo que el objetivo de esta investigación consistió en identificar los factores que inciden en la agro productividad del maíz nativo de la región. Para dar cumplimiento a ello, la metodología de alcance cualitativo implicó un análisis documental para caracterizar y contextualizar la agro productividad de maíz del municipio. Posteriormente se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada a profundidad a un experto, y tres grupos focales a productores de la región. Se concluye con seis factores que inciden en la agro productividad el maíz en Chicontepec, por lo que se recomienda a los to...
Tropical Conservation Science, 2018
Homegardens are small-scale agroforestry systems consisting of parcels of land on homesteads in which diverse plant species are cultivated in several strata, often integrating herbaceous, tree, vine, crop, and animal components. Among the vines in Mayan homegardens in Yucatán is the pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus), a cactus with edible fruit. We use this species as a model to identify changes in the level of knowledge and management of homegardens due to modernization (increased tourism, paved roads, and urban expansion) in order to propose conservation strategies. Structured interviews were carried out in 100 homegardens; information regarding economics, language, school attendance, and the distance to cities were gathered. Currently, pitahaya is mostly eaten as a sorbet, and women harvest its fruit more often than men do. It is the elderly who teach the next generations about the use and care of pitahayas. The model that best explained the level of knowledge and management about pitahaya included variables such as the location of homegardens; their distance to the nearest city; as well as language, gross domestic product, and school attendance rate of home gardeners. We found that there is less traditional knowledge about pitahayas when home gardeners have higher school attendance and that not only pitahayas but also homegardens near cities are being neglected. We suggest that conservation planning for pitahayas and homegardens should include education programs on their ecological, nutritional, and economic importance. Homegardens, whose owners have the highest level of knowledge about their management and biodiversity, should be interactively conserved, and the knowledge of home gardeners should be acknowledged.
Ethnobotany in a tropical-humid region: the home gardens of Balzapote, Vera Cruz, Mexico
Journal of Ethnobiology8, 1988
In this work, we an:dyse the home garden's floristic composition and how the peasant families use the plant speeies in relation to their cultural origin and date of establishment at a rural community recently formed in Vern:cnu. The home garden is 3 production alternative tmt plays an important role in peasant economy and, at the same time, is the family'3 habitl1tional unit. It has.a high floristic richness providing the family with numerous product$ to satisfy various needs: of the 338 speeies reported, 37.6% were used ror ornament, 25A% for nourishment and 39.3% had secondary medicinal usages. However, the species with the hjghest densities and frequencies were the foed plants. The interchange of plants and knowledge of plants by the families in the community has made the home garden more floristically homogeneous. The horr..e garden is a place of agricultural experimentation L"l which All the family participates, RESUMEN,-En este trabajo, anaHzamos las especies vegetales de los solares, sus usos y e1 conocimiento cn reladon a1 origen cultural y a 1a fecha de establecirnicnto de las faroilias campesmas de una comunidad recientemente fonnada en Veracruz, El soJar es una altemativ.1 produetiva imporrante en 1.1 economia campesina yes, lldcmas, la unidad hahitacional de la familia. El solar se caracterize pol una gran riqucza floristica 10 que pem1ite al campesino provecrse de diferentcs productQs para satisfacer varias necesidades. De las 338 especies reportadas, e137,6% tienen un usa ornamental, el 25,4% son alimenticias yel39.3% tienen como uso !lecWldario cl mcdicirull. Sin embargo, las especies mas frecuentes y abundantes son las alimenticias. £1 intcrcambio de plantas y de conoel-nneutQ ha. 100 hornogeneizando floristicamentc los solares. E1 solar se coustituye como un lugat de experimemacion agricola donde toda la familia interv-iene.