Runoff agriculture in the highlands of San Luis Potosí State, Mexico Article uri icon

abstract

  • Dryland farming means to cultivate semiarid fields without irrigation, using only water coming from rainfall. In Mexico, this type of agriculture is known ambiguously as rainfed (temporal farming), as if all dryland farming were practiced only with the rains fallen directly over the cropland, although elsewhere it is named dryland farming (cultivo de secano). The study of the traditional methods of dryland farming in this region is relevant because 1) the large surface where it is practiced, 2) the great number of peasant communities that employ this type of agriculture as their main source of food and income, and 3) it is a method where farm soil is used in an uncertain and unproductive way (at least from the marketing point of view), which is the reason why it has received minimal scientific and technological support. The aim of this work was to characterize and explain the dryland crop production systems based on runoff management in the highland of the San Luis Potosi State. It is concluded that, in the area, the runoff agriculture systems are supported by an ancient and solid empirical knowledge, and they are similar to those practiced in other regions of the world with similar ecological characteristics. Runoff management and tillage practices used to provide and to conserve residual moisture, respectively, increase substantially the availability of water for crops; however, they require further improvement.

publication date

  • 2010-01-01