Traditional Knowledge and Academy: Small Scale Maguey and Mezcal Farmers in the Northern and Central regions of Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

The objective of the research from which this article is derived was to document the traditional knowledge of maguey and mezcal producers in the state of Guerrero, Mexico: their agricultural practices, the ecological practices involved in the latter, and traditions and customs and their alternatives they have implemented to recover traditional knowledge, to explore the possibilities of combining them with contributions from scientific research. The research was carried out in the Centro (five locations with two municipalities) and Norte (three locations, two municipalities) regions of the state of Guerrero, from January 2017 to March 2018. Semi structured interviews were administered to key informants (agave-mezcal farmers), and field walks and participant observation were conducted. Although maguey cultivation and mezcal production are essential to the economy of many rural families in these regions, these activities are under threat due to unfavorable environmental conditions and overexploitation of the once abundant wild agave plants. The respondents considered it crucial to implement practices to conserve agave plants, involving their families into this dynamic, and to preserve their knowledge and community values to maintain the age-old tradition of maguey-mezcal production. The scientific community could play a key role in this effort.