Speakers: Olivia Angé Université libre de Bruxelles and Gabriel G. Roman - Université libre de Bruxelles / EHESS
Date: 14 December 2023 - 15.00 – 16.00
Venue: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) – Mexico City, Mexico.
Link: Video on Youtube

Abstract

Tamazulapam del Espíritu Santo is a Mixe community located in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. Its inhabitants have traditionally produced maize for self-consumption in milpa intercropping systems (usually with beans, potatoes, chilacayote, and fruit trees). However, recent effects of migration, ecological degradation and the importation of maize have affected the community and the lives of producers. Maize cultivation is no longer a common activity, mainly among the young population, and, consequently, local agrobiodiversity has been threatened. However, many cultivators continue to maintain their various seeds, forming an affective bond that is manifested through practices of care and respect. In this presentation, Gabriel will analyze the human-plant care relationship based on ethnographic data collected over 18 months. It is through këwent’äjt (care) and jëntsë’ëky’äjt (respect) that the Mixe milpas flourish and their maize abounds. This presentation, therefore, documents a modality of agricultural relationships in which productivity and care or respect converge. These practices help us reflect on capitalist ways of relating to crops, based on maximizing yield and profits. We can, then, imagine alternatives to intensive agriculture, which is corrosive to crops and their ecologies.