Sustainable Agriculture and Water Management Practices in a Rural Indigenous Municipality in Southern Oaxaca

Mary Glenn, a Master of Development Practice student, worked in the rural and largely indigenous municipality of San Juan Colorado in southern Mexico. Her project focused on sustainable agriculture and water management practices in the municipality. Glenn worked with a small grassroots organization, Consejo de Desarrollo Sustentable (CDS), which supports local projects, including a native cotton weaving collective, a corozo oil cooperative, and organic vanilla and cotton growers' groups. Her specific task was to locate and conduct qualitative research with the roughly 60 graduates of TAFE, a four-year workshop series on sustainable agriculture conducted from 2010 to 2013. The research aimed to identify which agroecological techniques learned in the workshops were still being employed, which ones were not, and why. It also sought to determine the outcomes on graduates' parcelas since completing the workshops and assess the demand for future workshops. Additionally, Glenn conducted a baseline diagnostic study on the issue of water scarcity in the region, which is exacerbated by climate change and unsustainable agriculture and ranching practices. Glenn's fieldwork involved extensive travel across the eight pueblos that make up the municipality of San Juan, interacting with campesinos, ganaderos, and local authorities. She visited parcelas directly to see the agroecological techniques in practice and conducted interviews with local authorities. However, her plans were often altered due to local realities, such as political turmoil and car problems. Glenn's experience in San Juan was marked by challenges and opportunities. She contracted Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus, which affected her ability to complete her fieldwork. However, she also formed close friendships with the community and learned much about sustainable agriculture and water management practices. In a separate project, Paloma Corcuera, a Master's in Public Policy student at UC Berkeley, conducted an internship with AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center Eastern and Southern Africa. Her project focused on the feasibility of introducing plastic crates in the supply chain of tomatoes in Arusha, Tanzania. Currently, disposable standard wooden crates are used, which result in damage to the tomatoes due to their rough surface and poor stacking. The report prepared by Corcuera aims to improve postharvest management and increase the quality and safety of produce available to consumers and farmer incomes. Around 30 to 40% of the tomatoes are being damaged during transportation, which could potentially be sold at a higher price but are being sold for 30 to 40% less value. The introduction of plastic crates could reduce the amount of damage during transportation, increasing the value chain of the tomatoes and providing better quality produce to consumers.