AGROBIODIVERSITY OF EDIBLE VEGETABLE IN THE INDIGENOUS TERRITORY MAYA-CH’OL CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Abstract

Background. Agrobiodiversity represents the importance of the knowledge that indigenous peoples possess about the use of species, a component that has been fundamental in the food system and the subsistence of families. Chiapas is the second state with the greatest biological and cultural diversity in Mexico; however, agroecological research on indigenous communities in the north of the state is still little explored. Objective. Document the edible plant agrobiodiversity represented in the agroecosystems of the mayan-ch’ol people. Methodology. For this research, communities located in Salto de Agua and Tumbalá municipalities of the Chiapas state were selected, where contact was made with the local authority to propose work agreements. Participatory research techniques, surveys of 10% of family production units, interviews with key informants, participant observation and ethnobotanical collections were applied. Results. Seven agroecosystems called milpa, backyard, agroforestry family plot, coffee plantation, oil palm, paddock and forest were presented in the family production units, destined for the production, management and exploitation of forest and livestock, both for self-sufficiency and for sale. Likewise, 107 edible species were registered, corresponding to 45 families, with Fabaceae being the most diverse with 16 species. The edible category was classified into six subcategories, the most representative were food (32%), dessert (28.9%) and drink (17.2%) and, less frequently, consumption in the field (10.9%), seasoning (9.4%) and snacks (1.6%). 38 species with use values between 3 and 2 are documented, with higher value in Zea mays L., Cucurbita pepo L. and Brosimum alicastrum Sw. Implications. This study understands the ethical importance of linking with indigenous communities, which is documented under the criteria of systems of life and rescue of knowledge, which serve to direct the context of managing community proposals towards the sustainability of local resources. Conclusions. The analysis of edible plant species allowed documenting the agrobiodiversity of the ch'ol family production units, which constitutes an essential component of the complex system for the use of resources, whose form of conservation and management depends on the family context, with the main influence and sustenance in their traditional knowledge.