Case Study to Support the Milpa Maya through Traditional Maya Knowledge, Solar Energy, and Environment Conservation to Guarantee Food Security in Chunhuhub, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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2020-08
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Abstract
Indigenous Mayan communities in the Yucatan Peninsula are plagued by marginalization, poverty, and malnutrition. Furthermore, global warming is decreasing the amount of rainfall and changing seasonal periods of rain in the area. Consequently, this affects the productivity of their crops and creates serious food security problems. The Mayan milpa is a traditional system of methodical and cyclical polyculture that is closely linked to the Mayan jungle. This research aims to support food security by implementing alternative energy systems with solar sources to produce water and irrigate crops. The project integrates the three dimensions of sustainability: traditional Mayan knowledge about the practice of the milpa and the sustainable management of natural resources; the generation of solar energy as a source of electricity to remote locations; and environmental conservation through the sustainable use of water, soil, and the forest. This research was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods. It involved a literature review in conjunction with questionnaires to the Mayan farmers.
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Hoil Basto, J. A. (2020). Case Study to Support the Milpa Maya through Traditional Maya Knowledge, Solar Energy, and Environment Conservation to Guarantee Food Security in Chunhuhub, Quintana Roo, Mexico (Unpublished master's project). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.