Water scarcity is a threat in San Andrés Ixtlahuaca, Mexico, that imperils the survival of farming households whose food and income depend on rainfed agriculture. This research extends the framework of socioecological systems to tourism to understand how community-based tourism flourishes: not spontaneously but as part of an adaptive response to the water crisis. A research model was constructed based on mixed methods. For the qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with 12 community leaders. Results show that different capabilities have been developed throughout the adaptive cycle: information capabilities at the Ω phase; involvement capabilities at the α phase; self-esteem capabilities at the r phase; and resource use capabilities at the k phase. These capabilities make it possible to face the water crisis, but they also favor the implementation of tourist activity. For the quantitative approach, a questionnaire was applied to 88 community participants directly involved in tourism activities to discover the current state of the tourism-related capabilities, their shaping, and relationships. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses raised was used. The activity makes the community resilient because it seeks to conserve and improve community resources through tourism-related capabilities.

This research works with skill dynamics and new rural community approaches to analyse how to generate community tourism skills and management, principally related to cope with water shortages in San Andrés Ixtlahuaca, Oaxaca. Qualitative tools were used to understand community learning processes, and quantitative tools were used to identify training and relationships. The results evidence dynamic capac‑ ity for acquisition, internalisation and transformation of knowledge relating to tourism. New knowledge is organized and integrated into traditional know‑how toward a strategy for the continuity of community life in terms of conservation and better use of communal resources

Background: Energy poverty, which is the deprivation of a series of energy services that satisfy human needs, affects over 2 billion individuals who rely on the combustion of biomass and other solid fuels to fulfill their energy needs. While certain communities address their energy shortfall by harnessing local natural resources, these alternatives fail to provide access to more advantageous and sustainable conditions, thus leading to what are commonly referred to as socioecological traps. Results: This research studies the relationships between the energy alternatives that two communities have developed, the bioenergy capability that would allow the system to access more desirable and sustainable states, and the costs and benefits that are perceived from this new use of their residues and resources. A quantitative methodology was employed by designing and applying a structured questionnaire applied to 207 households in two energy-poor communities in the municipality of Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico: San Agustín de los Tordos and El Comedero Grande. We have inferred that the alternatives generated by the communities function as socioecological traps. On the one hand, these options generate adverse effects on the health of people and the environment, while discouraging the construction of bioenergy capabilities; on the other hand, they allow them to cover some training costs, at least in the short term. These discoveries suggest that the system is currently in an advantageous phase of the cultivation of new capabilities. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to enhancing our comprehension of socioecological traps and capabilities within the realm of energy, thereby offering valuable insights for the effective management of successful bioenergy implementation initiatives. Moreover, these findings enable the development of frameworks for theoretical interpretation and methodological application within specific contexts, exemplified in our case by rural communities in Irapuato, Guanajuato Mexico. The holistic approach reveals that while individuals may have alternatives to fulfill their energy requirements, many of these alternatives can inadvertently become socioecological traps. For instance, the use of firewood as a short-term solution for household energy needs can generate adverse health and environmental consequences in the long run. In the light of these considerations, a study of their nature becomes imperative and relevant as it delves deeply into the intricate relationship between compensatory alternatives and capacities. Simultaneously, it scrutinizes the community’s perception of bioenergy in terms of costs and benefits, with the overarching goal of transitioning toward a sustainable energy system.

Objective: to observe processes of change in the cultural control of gastronomic elements: ingredients, methods of preparation, culinary knowledge, consumption, and use; in five traditional recipes from San Pedro and San Pablo Teposcolula, Oaxaca, Mexico. Methodology: the research is qualitative, ethnographic, and exploratory; Participant observation and interviews were carried out with traditional cooks; With the information obtained, content analysis and triangulation with the reviewed literature were carried out. Results: cultural control is presented as a mosaic of possibilities that coexist and satisfy the material and symbolic needs of both community members and visitors; The diversity of meanings is materialized in different versions of the same dish. Limitations: more research and impact on tourists and government actors is needed. Conclusions: showing that there is not a single and homogeneous culture in the community gastronomic sphere, allows us to counteract processes of culinary colonialism, recognize the areas in which traditional cooks retain control of the dishes, and make visible the preparations that, even when they are not offered, Tourism plays a vital role in the community. Objetivo: analizar procesos de cambio en el control cultural de elementos gastronómicos: ingredientes, formas de preparación, conocimiento culinario, consumo y aprovechamiento; en cinco platillos tradicionales de San Pedro y San Pablo Teposcolula, Oaxaca, México. Metodología: la investigación es de corte cualitativo, etnográfico y exploratorio. Se realizó observación participante y entrevistas a cocineras tradicionales. Con la información obtenida se realizó análisis de contenido y triangulación con la literatura revisada. Resultados: el control cultural se presenta como un mosaico de posibilidades que coexisten y satisfacen las necesidades materiales y simbólicas tanto de los miembros de la comunidad como de los visitantes. La diversidad de significados se materializa en diferentes versiones de un mismo platillo. Limitaciones: se necesita mayor investigación e incidencia en los turistas y actores gubernamentales. Conclusiones: evidenciar que no hay una única y homogénea cultura en el ámbito gastronómico comunitario, permite contrarrestar procesos de colonialismo culinario, reconocer los ámbitos en los cuales las cocineras tradicionales conservan el control de los platillos y visibilizar las preparaciones que aun cuando no se ofertan al turismo cumplen una función vital para la comunidad.