Characterization of the milpa system in four rural communities

The Mesoamerican polyculture called milpa was and is the basis of traditional agriculture in Central America, but it is being displaced by monoculture. The biocultural importance of the milpa is based on the traditional knowledge of rural communities and native peoples, the worldview and local knowledge of those who have preserved the native, creole seeds and the technique throughout generations, thanks to their effectiveness and benefits. By associating these three crops, corn (Zea mays L), beans (Phaseolus spp) and pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.). In rural areas of the municipality of Tecoanapa, Guerrero, a milpa system was identified where the basis of polyculture was olotillo corn (native seed that farmers conserved) associated with pumpkin and beans. These regions present high levels of health problems. malnutrition, poverty and marginalization; Part of these problems are due to the use of agrochemicals that generate high production costs and low profitability. The difficulties in transmitting knowledge about the milpa system to young people have reached such an extreme that the majority of young people are no longer interested in cultivating the land, much less the knowledge and beliefs they have about it.