Activos de productores agrícolas y arquitectura de solares en Pomuch, Campeche

Abstract

Abstract. We investigated if a relation exists between the spatial and temporal organization of trees (architecture) in homegardens and the level of assets of farmers’ families in the mayan community of Pomuch, Campeche, Mexico. From a random sample of 54 families (10% of the families dedicated to agricultural production in the comunity), of whom we had information available on production systems and cultivated area, we selected 12 families with many assets and 12 families with few assets. The former practice mechanized agriculture, whereas the agricultural production of the latter depends mainly on manual labor. We applied interviews to estimate the assets of the families of both groups in detail, and drew maps of the homegardens, indicating the localization of the trees and their phase of development. Eco-units–groups of trees that interact in their development– were delimited and their surface area and development phase was determined. The ratio of potential trees and the total number of trees was highest in the homegardens belonging to the farmers with few assets, as was the number and the summed surface area of the eco-units in the youth and growing phase. Farmers with few assets assigned more labor to the homegardens than the farmers with more assets. It is concluded that: 1) farmers with smaller assets renew their dooryard garden more intensively; 2) there is a relation between the architecture of homegardens and the level of assets of the farmers’ families.