CHARACTERIZATION OF PEASANT PRODUCTION UNITS IN THE SIERRA HUAUTLA, MORELOS, MEXICO

Abstract

The study of traditional agroforestry systems has been relevant worldwide, because they are strategies that farmers have adopted in the management of natural resources. The objective of this work was to carry out a stratification of the production units of the silvopastoral system in the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve in order to characterize the level of resources available to the different types of production units. The total of peasant production units (UPC) analyzed were 3351 in the 31 localities of the reserve. A cluster analysis was carried out for the construction of the categories, accompanied by an ANAVA. The delimitation of the variables was made based on the concept of peasant livestock; the selection was through a correlation analysis. Five groups were determined, which present statistical differences. The amount of livestock is the main variable to delimit the groups. It was found that group I lacks cattle, in II they have nine heads on average, group III has 12 heads, in group IV they have 44 heads and in group V they have 225 heads. The livestock identity, agroclimatic conditions, capitalization of the UPC, origin of the work force and land surface are qualitative and quantitative elements that determined the groups. It is concluded that the characterization of the groups, can contribute to the construction of differentiated policies to put together development proposals for the communities of the reserve, because they represent the reality of a rural livestock that seeks survival in a situation of agricultural policy that currently does not it favors him.