Milpa

The Milpa is an agricultural system that is operated by the Mayans for many centuries until today. Mainly beans and pumpkins are grown in the milpa corn. The cropping system is mainly subsistence of the indigenous Maya peoples of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Typical of the Milpa are the three plant corn, beans and pumpkins that are grown together and form a symbiosis: The corn serves the beans as a climbing aid, the beans turn supply the corn nitrogen, while the large leaves of the squash cover the soil and prevent erosion by rain and dehydration. This plant combination is also called " the three sisters ". Depending on the local conditions several species and varieties of these crops are grown and planted more plants combinations so that the Milpa plays an important role in the conservation of biodiversity and genetic diversity of crop plants. Often, the management of Milpas in exchange of about two years of cultivation, perennial controlled succession, followed by slash and burn will take place in preparation for a renewed cultivation.

Together with the huerto - jardin ( dt: garden ) is the Milpa the backbone of agriculture of the Mayas. They cultivate the fields according to their cosmic vision. Thereafter, a milpa, while their management and for harvesting performed rituals to ask the nature of the use permission and to thank her for this before applying. The corn plant is for the Mayas of paramount importance, as it is for a major food and on the other according to the creation myth of the Popol Vuh, the Maya have been shaped by the gods of maize porridge.

Due to the expulsions by the European and American colonizers and the targeted killing of the Maya priests in the armed conflict in Guatemala, many communities have lost parts of their agricultural knowledge. One finds therefore also Milpas, where only maize is grown.

A common form of shifting cultivation shifting cultivation is swidden ( slash- and-burn ) with a variety of local names. This follows a period of intense use of an approximately 2.5 times longer period of fallow. The burning of the vegetation is firmly integrated in these agricultural cultivation. Agricultural land is prepared in Mexico today in almost all regions by the fire Roden. The only exceptions are the deserts and vegetation-free surfaces. This type of provision of usable space is referred to in the south of the Yucatan Peninsula in SE Mexico as Milpa, in the rest of the country as roza - tumba - quema. The term milpa goes back to the indigenous Nahuatl language, where for, mah ', seed, seed field ' and, - pa ', at, at, at the place ' is.

For Roza - tumba - quema (, Rozar ' span for' clearing '; , tumbar ' span for, make '; , quemar ' span for, burn ') is the common name also coamil, especially when they are in mountainous areas, where it is practiced on the slopes. Due to the strong inclinations no conventional agriculture more is generally possible, so that this system is carried out of the migratory management to more than 12 % slope, especially since the use usually does not take place over a longer period.

First, in the preparation of the surface, an area is selected that is close overgrown vegetation because this burn-off most of the ash, so minerals supplies. If the future acreage prepared for the first time, almost all trees are felled ( tumba ) and left to dry. This may take depending on the diameter of the trunk to the entire dry period under different climatic conditions. The following year, the same procedure is with the bushes, but also cleared ( roza ). The combustion ( quema ) takes place in the morning or evening hours when it is often no wind. In order to prevent the fire from spreading over the parcel beyond the coamil farmers of different techniques and precautions use. Not infrequently, a wide border strip is placed around the area, supports this backup is several people who also put at different points on the edge of the fire plot fire to ensure a uniform and controlled burning. In addition, the fire on the leeward side, ie the side facing away from the wind, ignited to reduce the risk of uncontrolled burning by a counter- fire.

With the coa ( percussion or mattock, grave floor) is done digging the Saatlöcher either before the first rain or shortly after its beginning, the holes are then filled with water or the ground water- saturated, then the farmer sows the seed.

The rule is a three-year growing period, which is generally followed by a ten -round cultivation break. Of course, it must be noted that this period is shortened, because a growing population makes frequent changes of cultivated land necessary as a consequence of the danger of erosion increases immensely. For Mexico, an areal increase in the areas of shifting cultivation is registered with the results of evasion on previously uncultivated parts of the landscape with all its consequences, such as increased fire pressure on natural and cultural landscapes.

Due to the intense disturbance of the natural processes of forests, as it is given, among others, the shifting cultivation ( coamil ), a new, more vulnerable to fire vegetation structure, which manifests itself for example in the increase of near-ground herb or shrub layer in the peripheral areas of swidden plots developed.