Participatory identification and mapping of maize diversity in the Pátzcuaro-Zirahuén basins, Michoacán, Mexico

Abstract

The map presented in this paper is a result of a participatory exercise in maize collection, classification and mapping with farmers from 19 rural communities of the Pátzcuaro and Zirahuén Basins of central western Mexico. It shows evidence of how specific bio-physical factors control maize diversity distribution in a patchwork-like pattern at a regional level, in a mixed ethnic territory with longstanding population settlement for the last 3,000 years. At a regional scale, altitude and soil type are the most important bio-physical factors explaining the distribution of local maize races. These factors, and specific land management strategies, are the main drivers shaping three major agricultural landscapes where local maize races are cropped, maintaining a high genetic diversity.