Article
Environmental Sciences
Tomasz B. Falkowski, Adolfo Chankin, Johannes Lehmann, Laurie E. Drinkwater, Stewart A. W. Diemont, Ronald Nigh
Summary: Maya farmers in Mesoamerica have been practicing milpa, a traditional agroforestry system, for thousands of years. However, burning practices have contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. A study conducted in Chiapas, Mexico found that the carbon retention of char in Maya milpas is significantly higher than other slash-and-burn systems. Although burning resulted in carbon loss, the production of char and incomplete combustion of woody biomass mitigated the loss. The study also found minimal effects of burning on soil quality. Proper management and secure land tenure can help maintain the sustainability of this agroforestry system.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Danae Cabrera-Toledo, Eddy Mendoza-Galindo, Nerea Larranaga, Alfredo Herrera-Estrella, Marilyn Vasquez-Cruz, Tania Hernandez-Hernandez
Summary: This study provides more information about the genetic differentiation and diversity of different landraces of Agave angustifolia in the Jalisco region of Mexico. The large genome-level dataset used in this study allows for a better understanding of the genetic identity of important traditional and autochthonous landraces of A. angustifolia.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carmen Julia Figueredo-Urbina, Gonzalo D. Alvarez-Rios, Mario Adolfo Garcia-Montes, Pablo Octavio-Aguilar
Summary: An analysis of traditional varieties of pulque agave in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico revealed differences between wild-collected and cultivated varieties, with cultivated ones exhibiting a domestication syndrome. The study supports the hypothesis of decreased genetic diversity in crops compared to wild-growing agaves.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tiziana Crovella, Annarita Paiano, Giovanni Lagioia
Summary: Currently, agriculture accounts for a large portion of global water resources and creates high demand for freshwater in the Mediterranean area. This study evaluates the water consumption and pollution of olives, grapes, and tomatoes, common traditional crops in Southern Italy and the Mediterranean region, using the Water Footprint methodology. The study also predicts the effects of climate change on the Water Footprint of these crops and proposes scenarios to reduce water usage. The results show that olives have the highest Water Footprint value and grapes are most affected by climate change. Additionally, a Circular Economy proposal suggests that reusing wastewater can save up to 70% of water resources.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Johana Gonzalez-Coria, Julian Lozano-Castellon, Carolina Jaime-Rodriguez, Alexandra Olmo-Cunillera, Emily P. Laveriano-Santos, Maria Perez, Rosa Ma Lamuela-Raventos, Jordi Puig, Anna Vallverdu-Queralt, Joan Romanya
Summary: The challenge of sustainable agriculture is to increase yields and obtain higher quality products. This study found that organic fertilization with reduced nitrogen can increase the levels of phenolic compounds in tomato varieties that are less sensitive to water stress.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lorena Soto-Pinto, Sandra Escobar Colmenares, Marina Benitez Kanter, Angelita Lopez Cruz, Erin Estrada Lugo, Balente Herrera Hernandez, Esteli Jimenez-Soto
Summary: This study investigates the contributions of traditional agroforestry systems in Chiapas, Mexico, to food provisioning in peasant families, and discusses the conflicts between traditional food systems and the contemporary industrial model. The study finds that peasant families are changing their agroforestry systems due to the influence of agribusiness, global markets, and public policies, which in turn affect their diet, food sources, and health, as industrialized foods are increasingly consumed.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
L. Muralikrishnan, Rabindra. N. Padaria, Anchal Dass, Anil K. Choudhary, Bharat Kakade, Shadi Shokralla, Tarek K. Zin El-Abedin, Khalid F. Almutairi, Hosam O. Elansary
Summary: The study documented approximately 164 traditional rice varieties that may enhance resilience to climatic risks and have unique therapeutic benefits. Many traditional rice varieties have not been registered by scientific organizations due to poor awareness among farmers and community organizations, highlighting the urgent need to document, evaluate and harness their desired traits.
Article
Development Studies
Esteban Arias Montevechio, Marianella Crispin Cunya, Francisco Fernandez Jorquera, Eric Rendon, Felipe Vasquez-Lavin, Alejandra Stehr, Roberto Ponce D. Oliva
Summary: The growth of traditional crops is important for adapting to climate change and enhancing agrosystems' resilience. However, non-traditional crops with higher productivity and market values often replace traditional crops, posing a trade-off for smallholders between short-term income and resilience. Economic assessment of these trade-offs is commonly overlooked, but this study fills that gap, evaluating economic and agronomic trade-offs between traditional and non-traditional crops under climate-induced changes in water availability. The results suggest the importance of implementing smart agricultural policies to balance economic, cultural, and adaptation goals.
CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan P. Novotny, Pablo Tittonell, Mariela H. Fuentes-Ponce, Santiago Lopez-Ridaura, Walter A. H. Rossing
Summary: Smallholder farmers produce around 30% of global food but are the most food-insecure group. In Mexico, rural policies have shifted towards cash crop production at the expense of traditional intercropping systems, impacting the food security of subsistence farmers. A study in Oaxaca, Mexico assessed changes in nutritional self-sufficiency over 30 years and found that the milpa system produced more food per area and all necessary nutrients and vitamins, highlighting the importance of crop diversification for enhancing food security.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francisco J. Rendon-Sandoval, Alejandro Casas, Perla G. Sinco-Ramos, Eduardo Garcia-Frapolli, Ana I. Moreno-Calles
Summary: Traditional rural communities maintain wild vegetation within their agricultural fields to obtain material, regulating, and nonmaterial contributions that meet their fundamental needs. Peasant agriculture with higher forest cover and species diversity provides broader socio-ecological contributions and potential to satisfy human needs. Agroecological management in traditional agroforestry systems is crucial for ensuring essential environmental functions and people's well-being.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Valeria Leoni, Davide Pedrali, Marco Zuccolo, Alessia Rodari, Luca Giupponi, Annamaria Giorgi
Summary: Multifunctional agriculture could be a strategic approach to recover some mountain areas in the Alps. The impact of public workshops/seminars on cereal cultivation in the Camonica Valley showed increased participation and wider use of training services. Locally produced rye was found to be comparable to commercial rye but showed unevenness in secondary metabolite content and productivity due to environmental differences and diverse agro-techniques.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Louise Guibrunet, Maya Rubio, Ileana Nuri Flores Abreu
Summary: This article challenges scholars to expand their understanding of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) and include traditional agriculture and distribution systems as case studies. Using the example of chinampas in Mexico City, the authors argue that traditional food systems can also be considered as alternative food networks due to their production methods, distribution channels, and economic practices. Broadening the definition of AFNs can help identify diverse cases and highlight the value of traditional systems in building sustainable and just societies.
Article
Anthropology
Margaret Buckner, Mariana Louise Montano, Iris Vanegas
Summary: Efforts to integrate traditional midwives into state health systems have not successfully reduced perinatal mortality rates. This study examines the attempts of an NGO to integrate traditional midwives into the health system in Chiapas, Mexico. The findings suggest that most traditional midwives in the study area do not benefit from such integration, raising questions about the feasibility, practicality, and ethics of integrating traditional midwives into health institutions without considering local realities.
MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography
Carol Hernandez, Hugo Perales, Daniel Jaffee
Summary: This study suggests that conflicts can have positive impacts on agrobiodiversity conservation by creating favorable political conditions for community-driven initiatives. The agrarian conflict between the Zapatista movement and the Mexican government in Chiapas, Mexico, has led to the implementation of grassroots agroecology and food and seed sovereignty projects, ultimately strengthening agrobiodiversity in the influenced communities.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ata Jahangir Moshayedi, Amir Sohail Khan, Jiandong Hu, Abdullah Nawaz, Jianxiong Zhu
Summary: Ammonia is a hazardous gas that poses significant risks to human health and the environment, especially in agricultural areas. Effective monitoring and measurement of ammonia sources in agriculture are crucial for mitigating its negative impact. However, current ammonia detection methods may not be suitable for the low concentrations typically found in agricultural settings. Therefore, reducing ammonia volatilization from farmland is of paramount importance, with real-time monitoring playing a crucial role in assessing environmental contamination and minimizing agricultural ammonia losses.
Article
Agronomy
Quetzalcoatl Orozco-Ramirez, Hugo Perales, Robert J. Hijmans
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2017)
Article
Entomology
E. Hernandez, L. Ruiz-Montoya, J. Toledo, P. Montoya, P. Liedo, M. Aceituno-Medina, H. Perales
BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Biology
Mauricio R. Bellon, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Alejandro Ponce-Mendoza, Daniel Ortiz-Santamaria, Oswaldo Oliveros-Galindo, Hugo Perales, Francisca Acevedo, Jose Sarukhan
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2018)
Article
Agronomy
Kristin L. Mercer, Hugo Perales
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2019)
Correction
Agronomy
Kristin L. Mercer, Hugo Perales
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Matthew A. Kost, Hugo Perales, Saranga Wijeratne, Asela J. Wijeratne, Eric J. Stockinger, Kristin L. Mercer
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mauricio R. Bellon, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Alejandro Ponce-Mendoza, Daniel Ortiz-Santa Maria, Oswaldo Oliveros-Galindo, Hugo Perales, Francisca Acevedo, Jose Sarukhan
Summary: Mexico is a center for maize diversity and domestication, with smallholder farmers collectively producing more maize than needed for self-consumption, generating substantial surpluses. Through trade with non-maize consuming local consumers, farmers create incentives to plant native varieties and contribute to maintaining crop genetic diversity. Strengthening local maize markets can help maintain maize evolution under domestication at a large scale.
Review
Plant Sciences
Colin K. Khoury, Stephen Brush, Denise E. Costich, Helen Anne Curry, Stef Haan, Johannes M. M. Engels, Luigi Guarino, Sean Hoban, Kristin L. Mercer, Allison J. Miller, Gary P. Nabhan, Hugo R. Perales, Chris Richards, Chance Riggins, Imke Thormann
Summary: Crop diversity is crucial for agriculture productivity, resilience, and adaptive capacity. Loss of this diversity, known as crop genetic erosion, is a major concern. Evidence shows that changes in crop diversity have led to significant losses, maintenance, and increases in various contexts, depending on species, scale, region, and analytical approach. Further research and actions are needed to understand and mitigate the impacts of crop genetic erosion.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Gabriela Palacios-Pola, Hugo Perales Rivera, Juan de Dios Figueroa-Cardenas, Zorba J. Hernandez Estrada
Summary: This study investigated the variation in physical, chemical, and sensory properties of tortillas using two nixtamalization cooking times for three native corn landraces with different kernel hardness levels. The results showed that cooking time and corn variety significantly influenced the texture properties of the tortillas.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GASTRONOMY AND FOOD SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geography
Carol Hernandez, Hugo Perales, Daniel Jaffee
Summary: This study suggests that conflicts can have positive impacts on agrobiodiversity conservation by creating favorable political conditions for community-driven initiatives. The agrarian conflict between the Zapatista movement and the Mexican government in Chiapas, Mexico, has led to the implementation of grassroots agroecology and food and seed sovereignty projects, ultimately strengthening agrobiodiversity in the influenced communities.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luz P. Llamas-Guzman, Elena Lazos Chavero, Hugo R. Perales Rivera, Alejandro Casas
Summary: This study investigates the seed exchange networks among farmers in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala and their impact on agrobiodiversity conservation. The research reveals the important role of nodal farmers in facilitating the circulation of crop varieties and contributing to the maintenance of agrobiodiversity.
Book Review
Development Studies
Carol Hernandez-Rodriguez, Hugo Perales
JOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Carol Hernandez Rodriguez, Hugo Perales Rivera, Daniel Jaffee
ESTUDIOS DE CULTURA MAYA
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hallie Eakin, Stuart Sweeney, Amy M. Lerner, Kirsten Appendini, Hugo Perales, Douglas G. Steigerwald, Candida F. Dewes, Frank Davenport, Julia C. Bausch
Article
Biology
Marisa Silva-Aparicio, Adriana E. Castro-Ramirez, Gonzalo Castillo-Campos, Hugo Perales Rivera
REVISTA DE BIOLOGIA TROPICAL
(2018)