An Overview Of Our Solution
Traditional agriculture in the Lake Patzcuaro region has been increasingly changing towards industrial agriculture, slowly replacing native heirloom maize races with hybrid maize, and changing traditional ways of bio-diverse cultivation known as milpa (an association of maize, beans and squash) towards intensive monoculture that degrades land and social tissue. The work of Red Tsiri (Tsiri meaning maize in Purepecha language) represents a noble effort to preserve these native maize races and traditional practices. It is a network of traditional maize farmers and women that transform the maize into traditional products that are commercialized in the region. With more than 20 farmers and women, it is one of the most representative initiatives in the area aimed towards the preservation of bio-diverse agricultural practices and traditions.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Suburban
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
General Information
Organization type
Other
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Population impacted
2000 people
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
10-15 ha
Production quantity
7000 kilos
People employed
25 people
Solution
Describe your solution
The work of Red Tsiri is based on the reappraisal of traditional agricultural practices and the culinary traditions associated to native maize and milpa cultivation systems. The network gathers and stores the organic maize and then the women transform it using traditional practices - like nixtamalization (alkali cooking of the grain) - that enhance the nutritional value of the products. A variety of products including tortillas, gorditas, pinole, ponteduros, cookies, and flours are then packed and commercialized through fair trade networks and farmer’s markets around the region, spreading awareness among consumers regarding the agricultural methods and social benefits associated to the products. The work of Red Tsiri promotes the increasing demand of local, nutrient dense traditional foods free of agrochemicals that in turn supports the livelihood of traditional farmers, the women that process the maize and their families.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The use of native maize for the products commercialized by Red Tsiri encourages farmers to maintain or reestablish the traditional cultivation of landraces by increasing the demand and ensuring better prices than those of hybrid market varieties. Although a growing market for healthy local products is a key factor for the existence of the network, a lot of consumers, especially outside big cities, are not willing to pay the fair price for high quality product and labor, so awareness creation among potential clients has been a constant struggle. One of the most important aspects of the network success is having the ability to ensure production and delivery independently of holidays or other hindering aspects, because a lot of the network’s clients are restaurants and shops that need a constant and reliable production. This sometimes means for the women to put extra or odd hours, but on the long run has proven beneficial.
External connections
One of the most important connections to Red Tsiri has been the partner organization GIRA A.C. on their work with ecological wood stoves. A significant amount of the production cost of the produce is firewood, and the use of patsari efficient wood stoves as opposed to open fire stoves means a reduction of that cost and the improvement of the quality of life of women in terms of smoke inhalation and exposure. On a similar subject, steps have been taken to ensure that the wood used for the production comes from sustainable forest management operation.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Farmers in the region, following national trends caused by the pressure from corporations, the government and the consumers, are replacing native maize races and traditional practices for hybrid maize monocultures. The impacts of industrial agriculture are well known, and in the context of this
particular region it means loss of bio-diversity, soil erosion and degradation, land use changes, water scarcity and pollution, exposure of farmers to dangerous chemicals, among others. Several studies have been conducted regarding the benefits of maize-legume intercropping, while other studies have shown the superior quality of native maize races vs. hybrids as well. The aim of the organization is to promote better agricultural practices through a reappraisal of the benefits of traditional agriculture and culinary traditions.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Maize is the staple food for most people in Mexico. More than half of the cultivated area is dedicated to maize, and a significant share of the production is done by small farmers using traditional practices and using native maize races. For these farmers, the polycultural growing system known as milpa represents not only the production of maize, but of several other foods that contribute to their food security and overall self-reliance. The use of landraces better adapted to the climatic conditions of the region decreases the dependency on irrigation systems and external inputs and strengthens social bonds and community relations because milpa systems can’t be worked using heavy machinery, thus farmers often rely on collective work and other forms of cooperation.
These practices are slowly disappearing to industrial agriculture, and farmers are forced to change their traditions to meet market demands or migrate to the US and leave agriculture altogether, and women are recurring to hybrid maize species for tortillas instead of richer landraces.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
The production of maize used for the products of Red Tsiri comes from milpa production systems, in which all fertility in the soil is achieved by the association between pole beans, maize and squash. Additionally farmers use compost and often graze the fields with cows in between crops to increase soil fertility by the addition of manure. On the processing part of the network, the use of patsari ecological stoves means less emissions from firewood and a significant improvement for women in the workshops.
Language(s)
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Water
Better agricultural practices lead to better soil and less reliance on outside water sources.
Food Security/Nutrition
Promotion of crop association in the form of milpa systems generates multiple yields for the farmers, which they can either use or sell for themselves, since the network only needs the maize. Additionally, most women involved in Red Tsiri use the organic native maize for themselves and their families instead of relying on imported hybrid races.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Red Tsiri ensures a fair price for both the farmers and the women creating the products, so they have the certainty of a certain gain independently of the current market prices or the availability of paid work.
Climate
Better agricultural practices lead to a negative carbon footprint.
Sustainability
Most of the expenses of Red Tsiri are met with funds generated by its own operation through marked-based revenue; through for some more specialized labor and administrative tasks a certain amount comes from govt. grants or other sources.
Return on investment
Red Tsiri’s work has been long and slow, so a significant amount of investment in terms of labor and resources has been invested. Until recently the operation of Red Tsiri is slowly becoming viable by itself.
Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
Although no effort has been done to replicate Red Tsiri’s example elsewhere, it is quite possible to achieve at a similar scale, the conditions that allowed the network to exist are present in many places in Mexico. Some of the key factors in the replication of the network’s experience would be the existence of a market for high quality local and traditional products (most likely a city), a fulltime employee that can coordinate the work of farmers with the transformation and distribution, and allegiances with local organizations that support the network. If possible in the region, a collaboration with ecological woodstoves organizations needs to be established, although GIRA A.C. has the capability of extending support throughout the country.