Chiapas - Soil & Water Study
INIFAP extension agent Walter Lopez supporting farmers in Chiapas with training on conservation agriculture. © Celia Pigueron Wirz
The Implementation and Benefits of Soil Restoration, Conservation and Agroforestry in Chiapas, Mexico
"Like many of the places where The Nature Conservancy works, Chiapas, Mexico is a biodiversity hotspot under threat: as the fertility of existing agricultural lands decreases, the agricultural sector expands into bordering forests."
Read the full "Agriculture Can Be a Solution for Deforestation in Chiapas, Mexico" article on The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science Blog site here.
Staff from the Mexican National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture, and Fisheries Research (INIFAP) providing training on regenerative agricultural practices. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
Staff of The Nature Conservancy and INIFAP collecting soil samples from a field intercropping maize with nitrogen-fixing Inga. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
Soil sample collected on maize farm in Chiapas building soil fertility with conservation tillage and intercropping with nitrogen-fixing Inga. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
Smallholder maize production on steep slopes surrounded by mixed-use coffee, agroforestry, and primary forest. The Nature Conservancy in Chiapas is working to limit crop production that encroaches into native habitats. Photo Credit: Celia Pigueron
A stream flowing through a mixed-use landscape that includes smallholder maize and coffee production, livestock grazing, and secondary and primary forest. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
A silvopasture system in Chiapas using planned rotational grazing to restore vegetation and soil while increasing livestock health and productivity. Photo Credit: Mauricio Castro Schmitz
Smallholder mixed-use production on steep slopes surrounded by mixed-use coffee and secondary forest. The Nature Conservancy in Chiapas is working to limit crop production that encroaches into native habitats. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
Example of a field incorporation nitrogen-fixing Inga species with traditional maize production. Intercropping is one of several practices promoted in Chiapas by The Nature Conservancy and INIFAP as part of a regenerative agriculture system to lower conversion pressure in native habitat. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
Staff of The Nature Conservancy and INIFAP collecting soil samples from a field intercropping maize with nitrogen-fixing Inga. Photo Credit: Manuel Morales Roman
FIELD MATERIALS
Available in English & Spanish (disponible en inglés y español)
FACTSHEET: Soil Restoration in Chiapas, Mexico
FACTSHEET: Implementing Agroforestry Systems to Restore Degraded Soils
FACTSHEET: Fire & Agroforestry
A two-page factsheet on healthy & productive agriculture using fire, and the benefits of leaving stubble on the ground
Explore Further
Visit THE ROLE OF SOIL page on the Toolbox for additional resources and information.