Desire for Greener Land

Above left: A 7-year-old plantation
of Agaave
cupreata ("MMaguey
papalot te”). Titzio projeect,
Particip P pative actions s for econom
mic Michoacán dde
Ocampo state
(Photo: Chriistian
Prat)
benefit b ts of aggave
fo orestry
Above right:
A 1-year-old Agave inaequiidens
plantation onn
eroded soil (A Acrisol) and vollcanic
Mexico M - Recupperación
de tierrras
degradada as por agavefoorestería
tuff (so-calledd
'tepetate') in El Calabozo –
a traves de acciiones
participaativas
para beneficios
económmicos
(Spanish h)
Potrerillos suub-catchment
of o Cointzio basin,
Michoacán dde
Ocampo state.
(Photo: Eduuardo
Land L reclamattion
with locaal
agave (to produce p Mezccal)
associate ed with trees, Ríos)
shrubs s and graasses
plantedd
through participative
actioons
for economic
benefit
Aim A / objectives:
Rehabilitatioon
of degraded
land is achieeved
by using g native agave
(A Agave inaequiddens)
and treees,
shrubs and grasses whichh
creates, ove er the medium-
te erm (7-10 yeaar),
a sustainaable
productio on of an alcoholic
drink (m mezcal) and/or r
pharmaceutical
p
products and/ /or fodder for cattle and/or wwood.
Further objectives are
water w conservvation,
biodiveersity,
genera ation of permmanent
emplo oyment (plant
re eproduction, planting, alccoholic
drink/ / pharmaceuutical
product tion), carbon
sequestration,
ggeneration
of hhigher
family incomes
and a reduction in the amount of f
liv vestock and nnumber
of animmals
and uncontrolled
graziing
(the main cause of soil
erosion). e Thesee
positive impacts
of the ap pproach contribbute
to preven nting the rural
population p fromm
emigrating to the cities or ab broad.
Methods: M Coorrdination,
coopperation
and systematic paarticipatory
pr rocess among
stakeholders
arre
the basis of the approach. . Promoting paarticipatory
processes
occurs
th hrough workshhops,
interviewws
with comm munity leaders, field visits co onducted with
owners o of the laand
to recognizze
the problem ms and identify aareas
of oppor rtunity, training
courses,
exchaange
of experriences
with other o people wwho
are deve eloping similar r
projects p at diffeerent
stages. TTechnical
advic ce and the linkss
with scientist ts, technicians
and a public officiials
in charge oof
project bene eficiaries is givven
under a two o-way process
of o mutual learrning
and seeeking
to stren ngthen self-maanagement
ca apabilities that
in nspires innovaation
at the diifferent
stages s. The key to success of a participatory
approach a lies inn
liberating andd
developing community c leaddership
and se elf-organization
processes. p
Stages S of impleementation:
Thhe
project is part p of a regioonal
planning context and a
basin b scale appproach
of intervvention.
The watershed w of thee
site project is s included in a
special
programmme
of the Ministry
of Enviro onment and NNatural
Resour rces of Mexico
which w gives thhe
opportunity of developing g and financinng
a medium-
to long-term
project. p The parrticipatory
proccess
is delivere ed from planninng,
organizing, , programming
and a implementing
to financingg,
training, mon nitoring and dissseminating
th he results. The
strategic
persppective
of the project includ des capacity-bbuilding
of lan nd owners for
greenhouse
andd
nursery mannagement,
the technical asseessment
for the e improvement
of o the agave forestry systeem,
guidance with quality production of f mezcal and
marketing m suppport
to diversiffy
products an nd sell them inn
order to make
the project
financially
self-ssustaining
and profitable. All these stages ra range from sho ort- to medium-
and a long-term.
Role R of stakehoolders:
The goovernment
fina ances the projeect
through gra ant resources,
promotes p the paarticipation
of bbeneficiaries
and
monitors it, seeking the management m
of f
re esources and intersectoral participation. Scientists aand
academics s share their
Location: Michoacán
state
Approach arrea:
0.1-1 km
Type of app
project based
Focus: main
WOCAT data
cdewocat.un
DESIRE site
his.eu/en/coi
Related tech
agave forestr
on cdewocat
DESIRE site
his.eu/en/coi
Compiled by
Recherche p
France, Aleja
Universidad M
Hidalgo (UMS
Patrón, Secre
Recursos Na
en Michoacá
Date: 21 May
knowledge,
teechniques
andd
methodolog gies for impplementation,
improvement,
evaluation e and monitoring off
each stage, and they suppport
capacity-b building of the
community.
Thee
owners of thee
land and the community impplement
and de evelop each of f
th he activities frrom
building aand
maintainin ng the greenhhouse
and nur rsery, planting
agaves, a trees aand
shrubs, to the use and production p of mmezcal
and other
commercial
products. p
2
e, Morelia, Mexxiko
proach: traditio onal, innovativee,
and
d
nly on other act tivities than SLM
abase referen nce: QA MEX002
on
ibe.ch/wocatQ QT
e information: http://www.dessire
ntzio-mexico
hnology: Land d reclamation bby
ry with native species, s QT MEEX002
t.unibe.ch/woca atQA
e information: www.desire-
ntzio-mexico
y: Christian Prat,
Institut de
pour le Dévelop ppement (IRD), ,
andro Martínez z Palacios,
Michoacana San
Nicolas de
SNH), Mexico and Eduardo RRíos
retaria del Medio
ambiente y
aturales (SEMA ARNAT), Deleggación
án, Mexico.
y 2010, update ed Nov 2011
SLM Approach: Participative actions for economic benefits of agave forestry, Mexico DESIRE – WOCAT 2012
205