The purpose of this study was to analyze midwifery practice in the Mazahua and Otomi (MO) indigenous community and its relationship with the persistence of the native language and the use of medicinal plants. A semi-structured survey with qualitative and quantitative information was designed and validated. Data were collected from the students enrolled in the Intercultural Health Degree at the Intercultural University of the State of Mexico, their parents, their grandparents, and people from their community of the MO ethnic group. The variables mother tongue and births attended by midwives among both MO and non-indigenous people were correlated with three generations (grandparents, parents, and grandchildren). In the MO indigenous group, births attended by midwives and mother tongue concerning the three generations were lost in proportions of 25.5% and 17.05%, respectively. There are 23% more midwife-attended births in the MO community than among non-ethnic people. The medicinal plants most used by the MO indigenous group are “too” (Montanoa tomentosa Cerv.) and “lengua de vaca” (Rumex crispus L.). As regards family economy, 79.3% of the adults surveyed consider that there is a saving of between 25% and 75% with midwifery practice in the MO community. There is a generational correspondence between the loss of native language and midwifery practice.

La ausencia de un consenso en el manejo de una empresa forestal comunitaria puede conducir a una administración inadecuada, a un uso ineficiente de recursos y a una competitividad baja. Para revertir esta situación, es importante que las personas trabajen en grupo, para cooperar entre sí y poder lograr objetivos comunes, sobre la base de un conjunto de normas y valores informales compartidos denominados principios corporativos. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar los principios corporativos de las empresas forestales comunitarias de la Reserva de la Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca y su relación con la integración de la cadena productiva forestal y la conservación de los recursos naturales. La investigación utilizó la encuesta estructurada y semiestructurada; el análisis espacial se realizó en una plataforma digital y la construcción de índices de desarrollo mediante métodos multivariados. Se compararon tres empresas que tenían diferentes niveles de integración de la cadena productiva. Los resultados indicaron que en la medida que las empresas forestales comunitarias integran más eslabones a la cadena productiva, los miembros tienen mayor conocimiento de los principios corporativos. Las empresas forestales comunitarias de la Reserva que tienen mayor integración productiva presentaron mayores niveles de conservación de sus bosques, mayores beneficios económicos para sus miembros y un mayor bienestar social para su comunidad. Se recomienda que las políticas públicas dirigidas a las comunidades forestales fomenten la cultura corporativa para integrar adecuadamente las cadenas productivas de las empresas forestales comunitarias.

Mexico is home to 40% of the pine species in the world. By the year 2050, 20% of the Mexican forests could be lost because of climate change and other human-related activities. In this paper, we determine the potential areas for seed collecting of four species of the genus Pinus and its ex situ economic value under different future Climate Change Scenarios (CCS). The species analyzed were Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl, P. rudis Endl., P. culminícola Andresen et Beaman and P. leiophylla Schiede ex Schltdl. and Cham which together accounts for 19% of the timber production in Mexico. Potential areas of distribution of populations in habitats with Annual Mean Maximum Temperatures (AMMT) for seed collection were modelled through a Geographic Information System and climate database. The seed storage economic value was determined by using the Collection Cost Method. The AMMT of P. oocarpa, P. rudis, P. culminícola and P. leiophylla were 28 °C, 20 °C, 18.3 °C and 27.4 °C, respectively. The economic losses from shortages of these species due to CCS in 2050, were estimated of 88.5 million (USD) and 67.16 million (USD) with severe and conservative future CCS, respectively. The nominal investment rate would be 8.84% or more, for storing seeds of the four species and withstanding climate change. An ex situ seed bank is a medium and long-term investment; among its benefits are establishing a market price for the use and conservation of species in the face of possible adverse scenarios.

In Mexico, there are barely any studies that estimate the cost of germplasm conservation especially that carried out ex situ. The objective of this study was to analyze the collection and storage costs (CSC) of seeds of some native tree species that have social and economic importance in Mexico. Information on the importance of native trees was obtained through a literature review and research from a seed bank and forest technical service providers. Based on the environmental and social importance, as well as the conservation status of native species, poverty attention, and food security, an indicator of economic and social importance has been designed using multicriteria analysis. The highest value of the indicator included 32 species; Fabaceae was the most represented family (28%). The CSC analysis was applied to the species with the highest value indicator, currently available market price (CMP), and stored in the seed bank (SB). They were evaluated using the “cost of collection” method comparing CMP vs. SB. The cost of accession in the SB is 11 times higher than the CMP with 7% of nominal interest rate (NIR) and increases 24 times during a storage period of ten years with the same NIR per year. Despite the costs associated with the maintenance and management of SBs, their importance for conservation and contribution to society is highlighted.

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los determinantes de éxito (DE) de las empresas forestales comunitarias (EFC) en la Reserva de la Biósfera de la Mariposa Monarca (RBMM) para evaluar su éxito en la conservación del recurso forestal y los beneficios que han generado en las organizaciones. Los DE se analizaron con el modelo analítico de “diamante de Porter”, una encuesta estructurada, un análisis espacial y un estudio de caso de tres EFC con diferentes niveles de integración de la cadena productiva forestal (CPF). Los resultados sugieren que el capital humano y el capital social son los DE, además, existe una correspondencia entre la conservación del recurso forestal y la integración de la CPF. El éxito de una EFC en la RBMM no radica en los grandes beneficios económicos que genera, ni en la abundancia de su recurso forestal, sino en la conservación del capital natural y su aprovechamiento sostenible. Por tanto, las políticas públicas deberían considerar las prácticas comunales de autogobierno, los usos y costumbres y la actividad silvícola comunal en los primeros eslabones de la CPF.

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of agricultural backyard production on the well-being of producing families in the context of food security in a Microregion of Chicontepec Veracruz, Mexico, highlighting the substantial economic advantages of this practice. Design/methodology/approach: Through probabilistic sampling, a structured survey on availability, accessibility, and nutrition was designed and applied to backyard-producing families. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables. Results: In the microregion of study, backyard production is distributed in 55.4% of fruit trees, 25.4% of regional crops, and 19.2% of vegetables. The two crops that add the most to the basic basket are corn and Chichimeken beans. 98% of producers estimate that backyard production (livestock and agriculture) saves the family economy 10% to 50% of its costs. Limitations on study/implications: Knowledge of the backyard production of the microregion under study will allow the development of municipal policies that will link producers with the local market. Findings/conclusions: Backyard production has been shown to contribute significantly to food security since different fruit trees, vegetables, and local crops substantially contribute to the household economy through sales and self-consumption.