Table 5 General socio-ecological and technological aspects recorded in AFS in different indigenous and Mestizo communities of the Thuacán Valley, México

Sociocultural

Ethnicity

Náhuatl

Cuicateco

Ixcateco

Mestizo and Náhuatl

Mestizo and Cuicateco

Meztizo and Mixteco

Náhuatl

Land tenure

Private, ejidal and communal

Communal and private

Communal

Ejidal

Communal and private

Communal

Communal and ejidal

Farming practices

Crops

Corn, beans, squashes, pumpkins, peas

Corn, bean, gourd, fava beans, peas

Corn, beans and squashes

Corn, beans and squashes

Corn, beans and squashes

Corn, beans and squashes

Corn, beans and squashes

Fallow

1 year

1–3 years

6 months

1–5 years

6 months

6 months

6 months

Irrigation

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Machinery

Mattock

Plough and mattock

Tractor and mattock

Plough

Plough

Tractor and mattock

Tractor and Plough

Agrochemicals

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Livestock

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Agroforestry systems

Agroforestry practice

Boundaries, windbreaks and isolated trees

Boundaries and vegetation islands

Boundaries and patches of vegetation

Isolated trees, vegetation islands and fringes against soil erosion, vegetation surrounding the fields.

Fringes for water managenment and against soil erosion

Fringes for water managenment and against soil erosion

Fringes for water managenment and against soil erosion

Principal uses

Edible fruit, Other edible product and Firewood

Shade, firewood and boundary

Shade, firewood and boundary

Edible fruit, firewood and shade

Edible fruit, shade and fodder

Asthetic (beauty), shade and Maintaining water

Other edible product, shade and fodder

Ecological

Species richness

39

18

29

71

32

58

10

Diversity (Shannon Índex)

3

2.5

2

3.2

N/A

N/A

N/A