Integration to markets in a heterogeneous landscape in Coyomeapan, Central Mexico

In rural communities, markets can drive change by modifying human activities and influencing landscape complexity. The interactions among markets, resource management, and landscapes deserve closer examination to understand community dynamics and the role of local markets. This study aims to analyze whether variation in peasant’s productive strategy (diversification or specialization) and differentiated market integration are associated with landscape complexity. We employed ethnobotanical, remote sensing, and landscape ecology metrics. We conducted semi-structured interviews and developed land classifications in four communities in Coyomeapan, Central Mexico. Results indicate that communities differ in landscape complexity, reflecting the species sold, resource management practices, and the producers’ socioeconomic capacity for market integration. However, productive strategies are not directly linked to landscape heterogeneity at this scale, since agroecosystems remain largely managed through traditional methods. We emphasize that multifunctional rural landscapes persist through local market linkages, dual peasant economies, and traditional management.