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Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Revolution without arms: Helping subsistence farmers survive through continued transfer of knowledge of sustainable agriculture methods and water management.

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Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Sustainable Agriculture in La Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Revolution without arms: Helping subsistence farmers survive through continued transfer of knowledge of sustainable agriculture methods and water management.

Revolution without arms: Helping subsistence farmers survive through continued transfer of knowledge of sustainable agriculture methods and water management.

Revolution without arms: Helping subsistence farmers survive through continued transfer of knowledge of sustainable agriculture methods and water management.

Revolution without arms: Helping subsistence farmers survive through continued transfer of knowledge of sustainable agriculture methods and water management.

Rachel Lovell
Rachel Lovell
Rachel Lovell
Rachel Lovell
4 Campaigns |
Near Oaxaca, Mexico
$380 USD 5 backers
20% of $1,856 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 4 Projects Mountain Filled 4 Projects

Introduction

Small communities in the region of La Mixteca Alta, in Southern Mexico, live largely as subsistence farmers. However, soil erosion and insufficient water make agricultural practices extremely difficult. This has led to a dwindling population as people emigrate to regions with more resources. Local communities have taken many steps in an attempt to restore the natural original landscape of the region.

While community driven projects like reforestation, rainwater catchment systems, composting and soil fertilization have helped the region in the past 15 years, further international engagement and an exchange of knowledge in sustainable agriculture, will bring much needed resources and technology to the region.

The implementation of a sustainable agricultural model in the region is intended to serve as an active transfer of technical knowledge to the local population. This education component will ultimately improve quality of life in the region through the creation of rural employment and improved agriculture outputs.

In addition, the local ecosystem will be directly affected by agriculture due to the natural exchange of agriculture and ecosystem services. Over time, this synergy has a direct effect on local climate, by further improving the quality of the soil, cooling the region, creating more rain, increasing biodiversity, building crop resistance to plagues and diseases.

Factors

Prior to implementation of this project a series of factors must be examined. Any engineering solution proposed will be planned and designed in accordance to the current natural local resources, and heavily relying on the feedback of the local population. A more detailed plan of action will be possible upon return from the planned assessment trip to the region.

Agricultural factors:

The main factors that influence efficiency of agriculture practices include the climatic conditions, soil type and structure, crop type and irrigation techniques. These factors will be evaluated through a series of physical and chemical tests conducted on site with soil and water testing equipment.


The practice of polyculture, which attempts to replicate nature’s tendency to diversify ecosystem through the use of multiple and alternating crops, improves local biodiversity, decreases plant susceptibility to diseases and pest control. Evidence suggests that management systems that emphasize crop diversity through the use of polycultures, crop rotations and agroforestry can often reduce the abundance of insect pests that specialize on a particular crop, while providing refuge and alternative prey for natural enemies (Andow 1991). These factors directly affect the environmental synergies, becoming part of the local ecosystem’s feedback loop.

Water source and quality:

The depth and accessibility of the underlying aquifer is important in order to establish whether source will be sufficient for the size of plots and types of crops being considered. Crops differ both in terms of their daily water needs and the duration of their total growing period. The crop type is therefore an important factor in determining irrigation water needs. In addition, the quality of water must be tested to identify whether treatment is necessary prior to agricultural use.

Wind pattern:

For the purposes of this proposed model of sustainable agriculture, wind patterns must be studied to ensure feasibility of a wind powered water pump.

Other available energy sources:

While on site, the team will investigate the availability and nature of other energy sources in the area.

Soil capacity and properties:

Soil capacity is the ability of the soil to hold water between irrigation or precipitation events. Some determinants of soil capacity include soil depth, ratios of different soil particles that making up the soil, soil porosity, and soil water tension. These factors influence the amount of water available to the plants. Because soil properties change at various depths, it is important to know the soil capacity throughout the plant root zone.

Crop selection:

According to information provided by the community, ancient agricultural systems like the terrace farming were significant in the advance of the production system; it utilized massive manual labor for its construction and maintenance, took advantage of annual precipitation accumulation and facilitated intensive agriculture of polyculture crops of beans, corn and squash.

Degree of erosion:

It is estimated that 83% of the soils in the La Mixteca are mildly or moderately degraded and that 17% show signs of severe erosion.

Community needs and social structure:

To ensure sustainability of any agriculture model this project must be structured in the most natural manner for the local population. To achieve this goal, the traditional agriculture customs, and native crop type and cultivation methods must be incorporated into the final design. Additionally, in the region of La Mixteca Alta, many communities are structured as communal lands, or ejidos. This will be a factor in the determining the location for implementing a project of this nature. The social and political organization of the communities is also important in concluding feasibility and sustainability of the model.

 

Technical component of the model

The model has as its primary component the development of small-scale drip-irrigation systems that will be fed from the local underlying aquifer. Water from the aquifer will be pumped using a wind-pump. A pedal pump will be connected to the system for wind-less periods. This system would require no electrical power and has low implementation and maintenance costs.

 

 

 

 

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Updates!

$20 USD
You will get monthly updates via e-mail for the duration of the project.
Estimated Shipping
December 2012
3 claimed

Photos and personal nte

$100 USD
You will get an album of photos of the project during the assessment in La Mixteca Alta, with a personal note from the team.
Estimated Shipping
February 2013
2 claimed

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