Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6.3 The local variety of corn called mején close to maturity 10 weeks following planting in Cárdenas, Tabasco,
Mexico. This site is a wetland normally flooded for 8 to 9 months out of the year.
Average annual rainfall is about 700 mm. A large part
of the basin floor has a water table less than three feet
below the surface during much of the year, with soils
that are poorly drained and swampy. In order to make
such land agriculturally productive, most present-day
agronomists would probably recommend draining the
region so that large-scale mechanized cropping practices
could be introduced. But the local, traditional cropping
systems provide an alternative that makes use of the high
water table and rainfall distribution in the watershed
(Figure 6.4).
Using a system that is prehispanic in origin, raised
platforms (locally called camellones ) have been con-
structed from soil excavated from their borders, creating
a system of platforms and canals (called zanjas ). Individual
platforms are 15 to 30 m wide, 2 to 3 m high, and 150
to 300 m long. A diverse mixture of crops are grown on
the platforms, including intercropped maize, beans, and
squash, vegetables, alfalfa, and other annuals. Crop rota-
tions with legumes such as alfalfa or fava beans help
maintain soil fertility, and the crop mixtures themselves
help in weed control. Soil fertility is also maintained with
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