Review of agronomic research on the milpa, the traditional polyculture system of Mesoamerica

dc.creatorFonteyne, S.
dc.creatorCastillo Caamal, J.B.
dc.creatorLopez-Ridaura, S.
dc.creatorVan Loon, J.
dc.creatorEspidio Balbuena, J.
dc.creatorOsorio Alcalá, L.
dc.creatorMartínez Hernández, F.
dc.creatorOdjo, S.
dc.creatorVerhulst, N.
dc.date2023-03-30T23:30:14Z
dc.date2023-03-30T23:30:14Z
dc.date2023
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-17T20:10:29Z
dc.date.available2023-07-17T20:10:29Z
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10883/22552
dc.identifier10.3389/fagro.2023.1115490
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorioslatinoamericanos.uchile.cl/handle/2250/7514295
dc.descriptionThe milpa system is the basis of traditional agriculture in Mesoamerica. It is based on a polyculture of maize (Zea mays L.), bean (Phaseolus spp.) and squash (Cucurbita spp.) and is associated with a great diversity of crops and wild species. The milpa has great cultural and historical importance but can also be highly productive and provide sufficient and healthy diets for smallholder farmers. The milpa system is practiced less and less however, mainly due to socioeconomic changes, but also due to a lack of agronomic knowledge adapted to current conditions. To provide a starting point for new agronomic research, we reviewed the scientific literature to identify the current knowledge on milpa agronomy and determine research priorities to further improve the system. Given the wide diversity of conditions under which milpa is practiced, agronomic research is lacking, but indicates that improvements to the milpa can be made in all aspects of the milpa. 176 research articles on the milpa system were found in databases, of which 61 treated agronomic research. The main agronomic topics described in literature are crop variety, soil fertility management, weed management and productivity. Most research has focused only on maize and studies reporting on the associated crops are scarce. More research on all aspects of the milpa is needed to understand and improve the agronomy of the system under the changing conditions of modern agriculture. Reducing the workload associated with the milpa, as well as soil fertility and weed management can be identified as research priorities.
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherFrontiers Media S.A.
dc.relationhttps://figshare.com/collections/Review_of_agronomic_research_on_the_milpa_the_traditional_polyculture_system_of_Mesoamerica/6432011
dc.relationNutrition, health & food security
dc.relationAgriLAC Resiliente
dc.relationResilient Agrifood Systems
dc.relationCGIAR Trust Fund
dc.relationhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/129866
dc.rightsCIMMYT manages Intellectual Assets as International Public Goods. The user is free to download, print, store and share this work. In case you want to translate or create any other derivative work and share or distribute such translation/derivative work, please contact CIMMYT-Knowledge-Center@cgiar.org indicating the work you want to use and the kind of use you intend; CIMMYT will contact you with the suitable license for that purpose
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.source5
dc.source2673-3218
dc.sourceFrontiers in Agronomy
dc.source1115490
dc.subjectAGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
dc.subjectThree Sisters
dc.subjectMaize-Bean-Squash
dc.subjectBEANS
dc.subjectMAIZE
dc.subjectINTERCROPPING
dc.subjectSustainable Agrifood Systems
dc.titleReview of agronomic research on the milpa, the traditional polyculture system of Mesoamerica
dc.typeArticle
dc.typePublished Version
dc.coverageCentral America
dc.coverageGuatemala
dc.coverageMexico
dc.coverageSwitzerland


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