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Land degradation is a first order global problem. The objective of this piece of research was to generate a diagnosis of land degradation in the watershed of Yute Ndaa. The methodological approach considered I) morphometric characterization of the watershed and sociocultural processes, II) mapping, classification and characterization of the peasant land, III) inventory and general characterization of degradation, IV) detailed evaluation of the types of major degradation, and V) analysis, discussion and systematization of results. The understanding of this complex issue, where biophysical and socio-economic systems interact, has led to a transdisciplinary process in which the participation of local experts from the territory is essential. Fertility decline and water erosion are the main types of degradation in the area, and its rate is expected to increase due to land abandonment and lack of labor force caused by intense migration, a situation that may remain, thus risking the great biocultural heritage already threatened by “modernity” “progress” and “development”.

The first step for a proposal of a watershed management model is the morphometric characterization of its properties. The present study aims at determining the main morphometric parameters of the Moctezuma River watershed. In order to calculate the most important morphometric parameters for water analysis, the INEGI digital map was compiled and the MDE scale of 1:50 000 Digital Elevation Model was used. Interpretation of the data was digitized in ArcGIS / Info Version 1.8.0 10 Qgis Lisbon program. The results highlighted that the Moctezuma River watershed has an area of 6712.089 km2 and a perimeter of 522.135 km, with an average width of 47.117 km. The basin has a maximum length of 142.453 km, being this the distance from the gauging point to the highest point in a horizontal direction as far as the main river that cuts the contour of the basin. The minimum rate is 350 m high and the maximum height is 2450 m, with an average height of 1309 m, while the drainage density is 2.37 km / km2. The values of different shape rates calculated at the basin of the Moctezuma River determine that the basin has an elongated shape and smooth avenues in time of rain. The time of concentration from the top to the bottom is long; however it stays longer in flood times. Morphometric tools are a helpful tool in understanding the water relationship with the physical environment under the perspective of watershed management.

Amongst the important options to help coffee growers to face the constant crisis are both an organic production system and quality improvement. In this work, sensorial and physical qualities of 17 coffee varieties grown under organic conditions since 1998 were evaluated in experimental areas of the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Puebla. From August 2004 to March 2005, agroecological variables were collected, and ripe fruits were harvested and treated through a wet process. As per physical evaluation, a specialist board evaluated green coffee and carried out sensorial analysis of the beverage. The Blue Mountain variety was better evaluated in terms of agroindustrial yields, grain shape, grain size and cup tasting. Resistant varieties to Hemileia vastatrix such as Costa Rica and Colombia yielded more unwanted cups, which were especially astringents. Sensorial attributes such as fragrance, aroma, and after taste are given to all varieties in this piece of research. It is concluded that varietal factors influence the physical and sensorial characteristics of the coffee grown under organic management.

This piece of research is about analyzing and providing evidence about the design and methodology of productive chains or value networks applied to coffee, and its usefulness for the vertical integration of producers and their organizations. Collaborative networks and actors’ self-management play an essential role in the value adding processes and chain innovation, under the perspective of what is known as “entanglement for sustainable development”. The analysis of results of two years of operation of the Innovation Strategy for competitiveness of the Mexican coffee, through technical assistance and training, is presented here, which creates the conditions to integrate networks of professionals and technicians as well as of collaborative and innovative producers. Finally, conclusions and three major challenges of the innovation process in the coffee production chain are presented which seek greater equity in the distribution of the resources generated under a perspective of competitiveness.

The dominance of infra subsistence production units in our national agriculture is based on traditional agricultural knowledge in spite of the government attempts during the last six decades to modernize them by means of technical assistance programs supported by research and higher education on agricultural fields, which favors a western conception of science, but does not solve the problem of marginalization and poverty of a large number of farmers. This is the scenario despite an important display of economic resources and public policies, which poses a series of questions looking for alternatives on the academic perspective, where an etno science approach may be useful. The etno agronomy is set here as the scientific field to continue the traditional agricultural studies already started in the 70s by Efraím Hernández Xolocotzi, at the National College of Agriculture (ena). Different definitions given to etno agronomy are reviewed under the conception of an etno science linked to the agricultural and rural development of farming communities. At the same time, views and goals of farmers are considered in the sense of contributing to build a development alternative which is forced in its implementation through technical assistance programs.

This piece of research is about the final results obtained in the community of Ixpantepec Nieves, Mixteca Baja, Oaxaca. It was aimed at analyzing the community social organization, strategies and migration phenomenon in the framework of habits and customs in the state of Oaxaca. The text shows a brief review on the rural development scenarios in Mexico to contextualize the situation of an indigenous-peasant community. Then it explains the legalization of a habit-custom system in Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca, and highlights its importance in the social organization of the community. Subsequently, it provides a short analysis of the internationalization of migration exemplified in the Mixteca region to understand how a mobility phenomenon deconstructs the community strategies, its social organization and survival in an indigenous-peasant scenario. All of this in order to understand the practices that have enabled communities to survive in a development model that does not consider their lifestyles. The information was obtained through the qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviews.

The article aims to study land management to boost mining megaprojects and contract farming in Zacatecas, which generates rootless accumulation and destroys natural and human life. This is also a relevant study on development in Zacatecas as it takes into consideration the new spaces for capital accumulation (food, minerals and water) that destroy the territories in Latin America and, by extension, in Mexico. The guiding question tackles main projects plundering natural commons that have been implemented by the extractive capital in Zacatecas and how the government influences in implementing these projects. The hypothesis states that the territorial dispossession caused by extractive megaprojects in mining and contract farming under the control of corporate capital during the neoliberal management in Zacatecas focused on the looting of natural commons, exploitation of cheap labor and transfer of economic surplus, human and environmental degradation. The preliminary results indicate that the state of Zacatecas has become a social embedding area where corporate capital deprives communities of natural and human wealth and overexploits cheap labor.

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