Abstract
The marceño agroecosystem is based on traditional agriculture in the flooded areas of the alluvial plains of Tabasco, Mexico. In the marceño system, the native maize, called “mején”, is cultivated during the dry season using residual soil moisture. At physiological maturity, mején is tolerant to flooding. To estimate the potential area where marceño may be implemented, we characterized and defined the areas where it is practiced, using geographic information systems (GIS), and determined the bioclimatic variables of the sites where 16 species of wild plants associated with the management of the marceño grow. We also analysed areas of agriculture and livestock in relation to the cyclical floods. This information was used to generate a probability model of marceño occurrence through MaxEnt, which was superimposed on an elevation model (LiDAR) geoprocessed with GIS. The marceño was observed in 203 localities across eight municipalities of Tabasco (~2% of the state area), at elevations of 1–7 m. The calculated area with potential for implementation of the marceño is about 18.4% of the state area. The implementation of this agroecosystem on a wider area might be an alternative for local agriculture development and a strategy for ecological conservation and restoration of wetlands.
Highlights
There is a primary need worldwide to develop strategies for agriculture and the adaptation of smallholders to global climate change (GCC), in order to reach the goal of increasing food production by 50% by 2030, as proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [1]
We located the presence of the marceño system in the field in 203 localities in the eight municipalities of Tabasco, in Comalcalco, Nacajuca and Cunduacán (Table 3)
The adoption of practices of sustainable management of natural resources and the retention of traditional agricultural systems by smallholders has been proposed by the FAO as part of a strategy to adapt to climate change, eradicate global poverty and end hunger
Summary
There is a primary need worldwide to develop strategies for agriculture and the adaptation of smallholders to global climate change (GCC), in order to reach the goal of increasing food production by 50% by 2030, as proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [1]. The adverse effects of GCC will be more severe in regions where millions of people depend on subsistence agriculture and are more vulnerable to food insecurity [2]. The increased frequency of severe weather events will have drastic consequences for agricultural production [2,3]. In Tabasco, Mexico, nearly 62% of people are highly marginalised and 45% have limited access to food, with their economy depending on subsistence farming [4,5]. Promoting productive practices that guarantee sufficient and diversified goods without irreversible deterioration of wetland ecosystems is a priority [2]
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