Mayan Agroecology

Question 1

example of a traditional cultivation system that maximizes arable lands and increases biodiversity

Answer 1

Milpa Agroecology

Question 2

______ is the study of ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems

Answer 2

Agroecology

Question 3

What kind of knowledge does Agroecology rely on?

Answer 3

LOCAL knowledge

Question 4

What does Agroecology consider?

(3ish points)
(specific places…)

Answer 4

productivity
resilience
sustainability and equitability of agricultural practices in specific places,
by specific peoples,
over long periods of time

Question 5

What is Agroecology?

Answer 5

It’s agriculture as practiced in specific cultural and geographic contexts

Question 6

3 components of Milpa Agroecology:

Answer 6

Forest Gardens
Managed Fallows
Shifting Cultivation

Question 7

How did they feed all the people in the Mayan environment?

Answer 7

• Permanent raised fields
• Terracing
• Forest Gardens
• Managed Fallows
• Shifting Cultivation
• Wild Harvesting

Which of these are Milpa Agroecology?

Question 8

Are Milpa systems only in the past?

Answer 8

no, still happening today

Question 9

What is a type of Milpa system practiced today and what is it?

Answer 9

Swidden Agriculture

also known as shifting cultivation

technique of rotational farming where land is cleared for cultivation (normally by fire) and then left to regenerate after a few years

Question 10

Benefits of Swidden Agriculture:

Answer 10

maintains high biodiversity levels through regrowth etc

helps with long-term soil fertility (biochar)

Question 11

What is biochar and what are its benefits?

Answer 11

produced by low-temperature burning

benefits:
decreased run-off
increased soil carbon
improved tilth (cultivated soil)
improved fertility (microbes)
- enriched soil (anthrosols or dark earth)

Question 12

Parts of the Milpa Cycle:

& 3 examples

Answer 12

mature forest is cut and burned (prep for cultivation)
cultivated and seeds are planted
cultivated for 2 years
8 years laying fallow

examples:
forest gardens
managing fallows
shifting cultivation

Question 13

Characteristics of a Milpa cycle:

Answer 13

designed for large yields of food crops without pesticides or fertilizers
- small scale: family or community
- land usually communally owned
- multi purpose / multi-crop

• fields are small - separated by rows or paths/roads
• small scale irrigation from local creeks
• mix of different aged clearings
• fallow period of 8 years

Question 14

What is companion planting? (and popular example)

Answer 14

a complimentary trio of plants

ex// maize, beans, squash “the three sisters”

maize - shade and structure for beans
beans - nutrients
squash - protection from weeds

Question 15

Benefits of companion planting:
(and example)

Answer 15

shade, support, nutrients

corn for shade and support
beans for nutrients (nitrogen fixing bacteria)
squash suppresses weeds and helps w soil moisture

Question 16

what is a complete protein and an example?

Answer 16

plant foods = incomplete proteins bc lacking amino acids
can be mixed to make complete

ex// corn and beans together

Question 17

What is polyculture? (and example)

Answer 17

The simultaneous cultivation of several crops

milpa is an example - resilience for farmers

Question 18

What is knowledge of maize tied to?

Answer 18

language - matching linguistic connection

Question 19

Importance of maize:

Answer 19

social connectedness
- communities share seeds
promotes cultural resilience and social ties

Question 20

What is the “Maize Metaphor”?

Answer 20

growing maize = equivalent to raising humans
sowing kernels into the soil = reproduction
stages of corn growth = stages of human growth
husk of young corn = baby in blanket full of potential

Question 21

Traditional Mexican cuisine is a comprehensive cultural model comprising ______, ______ _______, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners.

Answer 21

farming, ritual practices, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners

Question 22

Milpa systems are made possible by ________ __________ in the entire traditional food chain: from ______ and _______ to _________ and ______

Answer 22

collective participation …… from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating

Question 23

Maize and milpa knowledge and techniques express:

Answer 23

community identity

reinforce social bonds

build stronger local, regional and national identities

Question 24

Who is a Campesino?

Answer 24

includes small and medium sized farmers

landless people

women farmers

Indigenous peoples

migrants

agricultural workers from around the world

Question 25

Using genetic diversity to support resilience: how is having 3 million GMO corn plants in US problematic? (give an example)

Answer 25

disease spread
extra inputs needed (fertilizer, water, tools)

ex// potato famine
- relied too much on potatoes

Question 26

If Milpa agroecology works so well, why did the Mayan state collapse?

Answer 26

drought
social unrest - leadership
disease

Question 27

What are concerns of Milpa growers today?

Answer 27

• Conversion of land to large- scale agriculture
• Growing crops for global markets
  - Pressure and enticement to grow for global
  (money etc)
• Not enough land/water to support growing families
• GMO contamination of landraces*
• Migration of workers to urban centres

Question 28

What are some lessons that have been learned for our food systems?

Answer 28

LESSONS
- Food security
- Genetic diversity is important
- Importance of localized food systems
- Distance of our food important
o Vulnerability
o Wait for it to be shipped in
- Use these to create solutions
- Will need imagination to address these problems