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For thousands of years, traditional farming and agroforestry have been the backbone of sustenance, economy, and social structure in Mexico. The significance of these practices runs far deeper than food production: they are avenues of cultural communion with the land and offer a window of insight into the ancestral, land-based cosmologies of the region. As these practices gain modern recognition for their sustainability and resilience, the vibrant belief systems that uphold themrooted in principles like reciprocity and balanceare also experiencing a revival.1. The Milpa Cycle: Polyculture in ActionThe milpa trilogy: corn, beans, and squash, Marigel Campos Capetillo. Source: FAO.The Mayan milpa cycle, or Ich Kool in the Yucatec Maya language, has been at the heart of Indigenous Mesoamerican cultures since ancient times. This land-based practice was the very foundation of all ancient societies in the region, which spans across southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and western Honduras and Nicaragua.For at least 3,500 years, traditional milpas have nurtured and sustained the cultural identity, ecosystems, and cosmovisions of regional culture. They remain the lifeblood of many communities throughout the Mayan Peninsula to this day, and continue to evolve as a living biocultural tradition that connects land and people.At the core of milpa systems is the idea of polyculture. Unlike typical Western farming practices, which use large fields to grow a single crop, milpas consist of small plots of land that are each home to a wide variety of plant species. This diversity creates its own self-sustaining ecosystem, which integrates more seamlessly into the surrounding forest landscapes.Milpa crops vary but traditionally begin as a combination of corn, beans, and squash. Because of this flexibility, they can incorporate a variety of other local plantssuch as amaranth, tomatoes, chiles, and medicinal plants and herbsdepending on the preferences and conditions of the communities they serve.A milpa-grown ear of maize, Cristian Reyna, 2021. Source: CIMMYTThe traditional milpa cycle unfolds over the course of two decades and passes through four distinct stages. First, a forested plot is cleared in preparation for planting. This is done through the traditional slash-and-burn method, which adds vital minerals and nutrients to the earth. The primary cropscorn, beans, and squashare the first to be planted, along with a dynamic lower canopy (including herbs, tubers, and even common weeds), which further enhances the fertility of the soil.In the second stage, fast-growing fruit trees, like papaya, banana, and plantain, are introduced to the milpa. They provide shade for other seedlings, such as avocado, mango, and allspice. These trees grow into maturity in the third stage of the cycle, creating a canopy that eventually phases out crops like corn, beans, and squash, introducing hardwoods like cedar and mahogany in their place. Finally, the plot is transformed back into a closed canopy hardwood forest, which is allowed time to regenerate before beginning the next cycle anew.Farmer tending to a milpa plot, 2010. Source: Mesoamerican Research CenterThe result is a mosaic-style rotation of constantly transforming fields and forests. The milpa reflects a system of deep interrelationship, honoring the delicate balance between natural environments and the needs of their surrounding communities. This emphasis on interdependence is just as essential to local culture as the agricultural practices themselves and reinforces sociocultural systems based on mutual support and cooperation.Over time, milpa agriculture has come to face many of the same challenges as other traditional knowledge systems, including shifting social, economic, and environmental realities. Across Mexico, farmers face increasing financial pressures to abandon traditional subsistence farming in favor of commercial agriculture. Deforestation and land conversion further reduce the availability of forested areas suitable for traditional farming practices.Yet milpas have also experienced a promising resurgence in recent years. Through education initiatives, fostering community involvement and integrating modern sustainable techniques.These efforts are beginning to be recognized: in 2023, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recognized the milpa as a globally important agricultural heritage system.Although the milpa system is designed to mimic local Maya forest ecosystems, its basic principles can be applied to different habitats, showcasing its adaptability and relevance in diverse contexts.2. Chinampas: Floating FarmsA chinampa on Lake Xochimilco, 2024. Source: El PasChinampas, also known as floating gardens or floating islands, have a long history among the Indigenous cultures of the Valley of Mexico. Their legacy endures in modern day Mexico City, where chinampa farms are still found within the canal networks of Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While these floating gardens may be better known for their colorful gondola boats and tourist attractions today, Xochimilcos extensive ecological reserves are the center of an ongoing movement to revive traditional chinampa culture.Chinampas are small, man-made islands built from layers of fertile organic matter taken from the lakebed. The technique was first developed by the Xochimilca, an Indigenous people who settled in the Valley of Mexico prior to the rise of the Aztec Empire and was later adopted and expanded upon by the Aztec. Before the arrival of Spanish colonizers in 1519, these wetland gardens produced enough food to feed the entire ancient capital of Tenochtitlanthe largest city in the Western Hemisphere at the time.When the Spanish arrived, however, they drained many of the lakes and outlawed the cultivation of Indigenous crops. Chinampas were replaced with dryland agriculture, upon which the Spanish ordered European crops to be planted. Since then, chinampa farming has continued to steadily diminish as a result of urban expansion, pollution, and a broader shift towards globalized food chains.Chinampa farmers in the Xochimilco canals, Csar Rodrguez, 2022. Source: National GeographicYet, against all odds, some chinampas have persisted as a lasting reminder of these impressive pre-Columbian land practices. Today, some 5,000 acres of floating gardens can still be found in Xochimilcos nature preserves. Only a small fraction of this land is used for traditional chinampa farming, however, many have been abandoned and left empty, while others have been repurposed for conventional farming.The few chinamperos (chinampa farmers) who continue to uphold these ancestral methods are committed to revitalizing them. Particularly since the recent coronavirus pandemic, there has been a growing movement among farmers and researchers to highlight the significance of chinampas to Mexican culture and ecology. After all, they offer valuable solutions for contemporary climate challenges, providing an oasis for urban wildlife species like the critically endangered axolotl while simultaneously preserving Mexicos vibrant cultural heritage. Whats more, they have the potential to improve local food security.This last point was underscored during the COVID lockdown, which disrupted the supply of international produce to Mexico City. Suddenly, the importance of resilient, self-sustaining local food systems was made glaringly evident. As the reliability of industrial food systems wavered, restaurants throughout Mexico City turned to local chinampa farmers to source their fresh produce.These circumstances helped to fuel an already-bubbling resurgence in awareness surrounding chinampa practices, sparking interest in and demand for chinampa-grown produce. Today, visitors to Xochimilcos renowned canal gardens can support ongoing efforts by choosing from a number of guided chinampa tours.3. Mixteca Terrace Farming: Maximizing Land UseDetail from the Codex Zouche-Nuttall, 14th century CE. Source: UNESCOIn the Mixteca Alta region of southern Mexico, there has been a similar growing appreciation for ancestral terrace farming techniques.Mixteca terrace farming is believed to have started as early as 300 BCE and was first developed by the Mixtec people of present-day western Oaxaca and eastern Guerrero. The practice has been a cornerstone of regional culture ever since. It involves the construction of stepped terraces along the slopes of hills and mountains, which are then cultivated and used to grow crops. The method helps to conserve water and soil while maximizing land use and also helps to prevent erosion.For Mixteca communities with little access to flat, fertile land, this technique has been vitally important throughout history. Highly productive and long-lasting, terrace farms have been closely linked to the development of Mixtec societies for thousands of years.As with other traditional Mexican farming methods, Spanish colonization had a profoundly destructive influence on Indigenous Mixteca practices. Eighty to ninety percent of the local population died from disease and harsh living conditions under Spanish rule, and the remaining population underwent drastic societal transformation. The majority of terrace farms were abandoned.Mixteca terraced farming, 2008. Source: Goldman Environmental PrizeYet some communities managed to maintain terraces over the centuries that followed, albeit on a much smaller scale. Many contemporary Mixteca terrace farmers have integrated modern technologieslike digital mapping and organic fertilizers, for instanceinto the fabric of their living traditions, but much has stayed the same. In fact, archaeologists believe some of the terraces still used today may be the remains of original pre-Columbian terrace structures.The continuation of these practices over three millennia has given rise to a complex body of knowledge encompassing regional weather patterns, soil health, water management, and local plant and animal speciesall of which provide invaluable support for modern conservation efforts.Although urbanization and modernization have made transmitting this knowledge to younger generations increasingly challenging, recent efforts to document and revive traditional terrace farming, ranging from government and NGO-backed programs to grassroots community projects, have been promising. Such initiatives are helping to reframe and revalue these practices as resilient land-use solutions, continuing to protect and nurture the intimate understanding of the land and the human-environmental interactions that have driven Mixteca society since its origin.