Family agriculture for inclusive rural development

  • Krishnamurthy Laksmi Reddiar Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, México
  • Sumithra Krishnamurthy
  • Indumathi Rajagopal
  • Arturo Peralta Solares
Keywords: food security, home gardens, species diversity, sustainable development

Abstract

The indigenous Mayan populations of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico have practiced the ancient traditions of family farming, especially home gardens, to ensure their food security. With the objective of improving the traditional practice with modern science, data were collected on the structural complexity and functional diversity from 20 home gardens selected at random in each of the following five communities: X-Maben, X-Pichil, X-Yatil, San José II and Melchor Ocampo. In addition, group discussions were organized to elucidate the management strategy practiced by the indigenous people. The results show that home gardens are managed mainly by women. The main purpose of growing and maintaining home gardens is to guarantee the production of nutritious food all year round. Finally, the home gardens also serve secondary purposes such as provision of products and services for traditional medicine. This study suggests that home gardens should be promoted and invested in to improve inclusive development strategies for contexts with similar socio-cultural and biophysical circumstances.

Author Biography

Krishnamurthy Laksmi Reddiar, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, México
Dr. L. Krishnamurthy is Director of the Centre of Agroforestry for Sustainable Development, Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo – an innovative, multidisciplinary research centre focusing on the role of agroforestry technologies to promote development in the marginalized rural areas of Mexico and Latin America. Dr. Krishnamurthy has over 30 years’ experience working in rural development issues in Mexico and has published numerous articles peer-reviewed journals in English and Spanish. His research interests include agroforestry systems, environmental protection, sustainable development, land use management, climate change adaptation, and community resilience.
Published
2017-04-06
Section
Scientific Papers