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More than just corn and calories: a comprehensive assessment of the yield and nutritional content of a traditional Lacandon Maya milpa

Author

Listed:
  • Tomasz B. Falkowski

    (Cornell University)

  • Adolfo Chankin

    (Lacanja Chansayab)

  • Stewart A. W. Diemont

    (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

  • Robert W. Pedian

    (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Abstract

The traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Lacandon Maya is expressed in their swidden (i.e., slash-and-burn), sequential agroforestry system. Successional pathways are initiated through controlled burns of secondary forest and by cultivating milpa: a swidden polyculture agroecosystem dominated by maize (corn; Zea mays). While past research demonstrated that traditional Maya milpas yield large quantities of corn that can meet caloric requirements for Lacandon communities, no studies have comprehensively quantified the yields of other crops cultivated in Lacandon milpas or assessed whether they can meet other nutritional requirements for local people. Using a case study approach, this research measured the agricultural yields and nutritional content of all foods (including crops and wild game) harvested from a traditional Lacandon milpa. Following traditional Lacandon agroforestry management practices, we performed a controlled burn of secondary forest and planted crops and trees in an experimental milpa in Lacanja Chansayab, Chiapas, Mexico. Over 3 years, we harvested, weighed, and calculated the nutritional content of all foodstuffs obtained from the milpa. Assuming an average family size of 5.3 individuals, yields from an average-sized milpa can meet most United States Food and Drug Administration daily value nutritional requirements per capita, including calories, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, zinc, and niacin. Diets derived exclusively from milpa may be deficient in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, calcium, and iodine, and harvests vary intra- and inter-annually. Lacandon farmers can supplement these harvests by foraging in their managed forest. These results underscore the potential of Lacandon agroforestry management to provide rural smallholder farmers in the Lacandon rainforest with food sovereignty while maintaining nearby forest cover to conserve biodiversity and other ecosystem services.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomasz B. Falkowski & Adolfo Chankin & Stewart A. W. Diemont & Robert W. Pedian, 2019. "More than just corn and calories: a comprehensive assessment of the yield and nutritional content of a traditional Lacandon Maya milpa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(2), pages 389-404, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:11:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s12571-019-00901-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-019-00901-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Serge Savary, 2020. "Looking back on 2019: a selection of Food Security articles," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 1-3, February.
    2. Olaf Erenstein & Moti Jaleta & Kai Sonder & Khondoker Mottaleb & B.M. Prasanna, 2022. "Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(5), pages 1295-1319, October.
    3. Claudia de Brito Quadros Gonçalves & Madalena Maria Schlindwein & Gabrielli do Carmo Martinelli, 2021. "Agroforestry Systems: A Systematic Review Focusing on Traditional Indigenous Practices, Food and Nutrition Security, Economic Viability, and the Role of Women," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Kristin Drexler, 2021. "Climate-Smart Adaptations and Government Extension Partnerships for Sustainable Milpa Farming Systems in Mayan Communities of Southern Belize," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Lucía Pérez-Volkow & Stewart A.W. Diemont & Theresa Selfa & Helda Morales & Alejandro Casas, 2023. "From rainforest to table: Lacandon Maya women are critical to diversify landscapes and diets in Lacanjá Chansayab, Mexico," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 259-275, March.

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