Participatory agrobiodiversity conservation: keys for an assertive methodology

Abstract

Mexico is the centre of origin and domestication of more than 130 plant species, most of which are cultivated in traditional agricultural systems (TAS). In recent decades, this abundance has been eroded by the expansion of monocultures and commercial seeds, the homogenisation of diets, rural dynamics or the loss of traditional knowledge. From 2019 to 2022, a nationwide project funded by the GEF built and strengthened mechanisms to help conserve agrobiodiversity, and one of the territories chosen was the Purhépecha region (Michoacán). This paper systematises the project's impacts in the TASs of Michoacán and rescues the critical methodological elements that served for its successful implementation. Participatory Action Research was the conceptual approach that guided the work in six communities with more than 600 participants. Successful implementation requires four indispensable elements: trust building, communication, previous experience and conflict management. The social impacts lie in the improved understanding of the agroecological paradigm and the increase of cultivated species and varieties. Participants also improved their income by selling their products in alternative markets and creating six seed houses. Agrobiodiversity conservation requires a social transformation based on actions anchored in the territory, where local actors combine innovation and tradition to ensure generational renewal.