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Agroecological management of spontaneous vegetation in Bachajón’s Tseltal Maya milpa: a preventive focus

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Abstract

In recent years, a great deal of evidence has accumulated on the health risks and environmental impacts of some herbicides. Both conventional agriculture and agroecology are searching for alternatives to address the challenges posed by the consequences of herbicide use. In this search, peasant and indigenous agroecosystems have much to contribute since their crops evolved thousands of years ago together with diverse communities of weeds, and farmers have carried out sophisticated strategies to manage them. Through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, free lists, and botanical collection, we document a milpa design that integrates and manages spontaneous vegetation to take advantage of its presence and minimize risks of crop loss. The objective of this article is to critically contrast agroecological mechanisms in this milpa design which matches the prevention principle with a set of recommendations recognized as preventive in conventional weed science.

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Abbreviations

CONABIO:

National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity

CONAHCyT:

National Council for the Humanities, Sciences, and Technology

DOF:

Official Journal of the Federation

INEGI:

National Institute of Statistics and Geography

RAN:

National Agrarian Registry

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Tseltal families who generously shared their knowledge and concerns with us. Betsabe Guillen thanks CONAHCyT for the scholarship awarded during the Ph.D. program.

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Author notes

  1. Betsabe Guillen Pasillas

    Present address: Departamento de Sociedad y Cultura. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur, Barrio de María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, C.P. 29290, México

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur, Barrio de María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, C.P. 29290, México

    Betsabe Guillen Pasillas, Helda Morales, Bruce G. Ferguson & Mateo Mier y Terán Giménez Cacho

  2. Departamento de Procesos Naturales, Corral de Piedra 2 Ciudad Universitaria Intercultural, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, C.P. 29299, México

    Evelio Gómez Hernández

  3. Departamento de Sociedad y Cultura. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur, Barrio de María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, C.P. 29290, México

    Guadalupe del Carmen Álvarez Gordillo

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  1. Betsabe Guillen Pasillas
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Guillen Pasillas, B., Morales, H., Ferguson, B.G. et al. Agroecological management of spontaneous vegetation in Bachajón’s Tseltal Maya milpa: a preventive focus. Agric Hum Values 41, 331–344 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10490-y

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