Agricultural biodiversity and the real solutions we need Adelita San Vicente Tello
“The agriculture, is one of the three most important humanity inventions, along with the fire use, and the mechanical strength use”. (Bernal,1979) GREEN
Plants domestication
REVOLUTION 1930-1960
10,000 a 8,000 A.C. 4,000 AC
1,000 DC 2,000 DC 1950 1996 MODERN BIOTECH
S E E D S: C O M M O N G O O D Accumulated knowledge
COMMODITIES
Mesoamérica
One of the eight crop species origin centers
Mediterranean Oats, rape
Mesoamérica: Corn, bean, squash, chile, tomatoes Andes:
Potatoes quinoa
Etiopía: Sorghum, millet
Near East Barley, rye, wheat, peas
Central Asia Wheat
China: Rice, soy bean, millet “foxtail” IndoMalaysian: Rice, banana, sugarcane , yam
Countries with great biological and cultural diversity Half of the world`s languages are concentrated in eight countries:
Biocultural countries
Mega-diverse countries: País
Plantas vasculares
Brasil
56,215
Colombia
48,000
China
32,200
Indonesia
29,375
México
23,424
Venezuela
21,073
Papúa Nueva Guinea
820
Indonesia
742
Nigeria
516
India
427
México
297
Camerún
280
Ecuador
21,000
Australia
275
Perú
17,144
China
241
Australia
15,638
Madagascar
9,505
Congo
6,000
China
Countries with a great cultural diversity Fuentes: CONABIO y Worldwatch Institute
Indonesia México
Countries with a great biological diversity
Agrobiodiversity Product of: ancestral knowledge - agroecosystem and local variety
Foto de Francisco Ă lvarez QuiĂąones; Chiapas
México: agriculture is a part of a worldview, a form of relationship with nature
Sembrador Códice Fejérváry Mayer – BMNAH Fotografía: Carmen Loyola
Current territories of Mexico indigenous peoples
Fuente: Eckart Boege, 2009.
Locations with more than 40% of indigenous population and the municipalities types Locations: From 40 to 69% From 70 and more Municipalities: Less than 5,000 indigenous popilation Less of 40% and more of 5,000 indigenous popilation Con menos del 40% y mĂĄs de 5000 indĂgenas
Dominant language in locations with more than 40% indigenous population according the volume population
There are 68 languages recognized
The 2010 census is wing 5.7 millones* identify themselves as indigenous, more than 13% of mexicans** Raised in 5 years? Distribution of indigenous population Indicator
2005 total
indigenous
Total population High and very high marginalized Municipality population Source: CDI-PNUD Indigenous population Indicator system based on: Inegi Population census
* For ages 3 and over. **112 336 538 people reside in the Mexican territory
Municipal Distribution according to the land tenure Social property: Ejidos, communities and neighborhoods. Private property Varied propierty
Land property Property
Surface %
Social property: Ejidos, communities and neighborhoods
56.1
Private property
35.7
National lands
3.7
Others
4.5
Total
100
The mexican biodiversity
Aguacate
tomatoe Calabazas
avocado
Christmas eve flower
squash
beans
Chiles Chile
guava 15.4% of the global food system species comes from domestic plants in Mesoamerica. jicama
cotton
barbasco
Nochebuena Sun flower Girasol arnica
amaranto
vainilla
cocoa
The corn created a culture The corn allowed to the Mesoamerican population to build a civilization with a system thought, a culture, a worldview, gods
Códice Cuautinchan. Foto: Robert Bye
Foto Codice Ehecatl and the man seated represents the corn folded plant. C. L. Códice Fejerváry Mayer.
“Thanks to the link both actors took on a different nature. The union entered into the maize molecular privacy to make it more useful to humanity and useless for it, that is, it was domesticated. Also was tamed the man, changing his social character”. Alfredo López Austin
“The corn is an invention of ours, and in turn the corn invented us”. Guillermo Bonfil Batalla
“We are women and men of corn”. Popol Vuh