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Economic Stratification Differentiates Home Gardens in the Maya Village of Pomuch, Mexico

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Economic Stratification Differentiates Home Gardens in the Maya Village of Pomuch, Mexico. In this paper, we analyze if economic stratification of peasant families in a Maya village in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico influences species composition and structure of home gardens. Our general hypothesis was that composition and structure reflect a higher dependence on home garden produce of relatively poorer families as compared to more prosperous families. We registered the cultivated trees and herbs in samples of twelve home gardens of poorer and wealthier families that had similar assets in the 1980s, and classified them by principal use and geographic origin. Total species richness of cultivated herbs was highest in home gardens of the more prosperous families, whereas total species richness of trees was highest in home gardens of the poorer families. Average species richness of trees and herbs and species composition was similar in both economic strata. Poorer families cultivated relatively more trees for uses other than fruit than richer families. The average and total number of native tree species and density of trees with diameter at breast height of less than 10 cm was significantly higher in poorer families’ home gardens than in those of wealthier families. We conclude that economic stratification leads to different production strategies in home gardens. Richer families are comparatively more interested in obtaining fruit occasionally and emphasize diversity of herbaceous ornamentals. Poorer families emphasize different uses, favor the native flora, and increase tree density. Thereby they contribute more to biodiversity conservation than wealthier families.

Estratificación económica diferencia huertos familiares en el poblado Maya de Pomuch, México. Se analiza si la estratificación económica de familias campesinas en un pueblo Maya en la Península de Yucatán, México, influye en la composición y estructura de huertos familiares. Nuestra hipótesis general era que composición y estructura reflejan una dependencia mayor de familias relativamente más pobres de la producción de sus huertos en comparación con familias más prósperas. Registramos los árboles y hierbas cultivadas en muestras de 12 huertos de familias pobres y ricas, quienes tenían capitales similares en los años ochenta, y los clasificamos de acuerdo a su uso principal y origen geográfico. La riqueza total de hierbas cultivadas fue mayor en los huertos de familias más prósperas, mientras que la riqueza total de especies de árboles fue mayor en los huertos de familias más pobres. La riqueza promedia de especies de árboles y hierbas y la composición específica fue similar en ambos estratos económicos. Familias más pobres cultivaban relativamente más árboles para usos distintos a frutas que familias más ricas. El número promedio y total de especies arbóreas nativas y la densidad de árboles de diámetros a la altura del pecho < 10 cm fue significativamente mayor en los huertos de familias más pobres que en los huertos de familias más prósperas. Se concluye que la estratificación económica conduce a distintas estrategias de producción en los huertos familiares. Familias ricas se interesan comparativamente más en obtener frutas ocasionalmente y enfatizan la diversidad de especies ornamentales herbáceas. Familias pobres enfatizan usos distintos, favorecen la flora nativa, e incrementan la densidad de árboles. Por ello contribuyen más a la conservación de biodiversidad que familias más prósperas.

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Acknowledgement

The Mexican Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) supported research through the project “Gestión y estrategias de manejo sustentable para el desarrollo regional en la cuenca hidrográfica transfronteriza Grijalva” (grant number FORDECYT–143303) and sabbatical grant number CONACYT–147619. Manuel Vargas–Domínguez and Daniel Antonio Poot-Pool helped in field work. We thank the owners of the home gardens in Pomuch, Mexico, for allowing us to do the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agroecology Department, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México

    Wilbert Santiago Poot-Pool & Hans van der Wal

  2. Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Hans van der Wal

  3. Botany Department, Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Autonomous University of Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México

    Salvador Flores-Guido

  4. Regional Planning Department, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Campeche, Campeche, México

    Juan Manuel Pat-Fernández

  5. Terrestrial Ecology and Systematics Department, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Campeche, México

    Ligia Esparza-Olguín

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  1. Wilbert Santiago Poot-Pool
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  2. Hans van der Wal
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  3. Salvador Flores-Guido
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  4. Juan Manuel Pat-Fernández
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  5. Ligia Esparza-Olguín
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Correspondence to Hans van der Wal.

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Submitted 24 August 2011; Accepted 22 June 2012

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Poot-Pool, W.S., van der Wal, H., Flores-Guido, S. et al. Economic Stratification Differentiates Home Gardens in the Maya Village of Pomuch, Mexico. Econ Bot 66, 264–275 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-012-9206-3

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