Cloud Forest Conservation in the Central Highlands of Guatemala Hinges on Soil Conservation and Intensifying Food Production

Abstract

Soil erosion threatens long-term soil fertility and food production in Q’eqchi’ communities native to the Sierra Yalijux and Sierra Sacranix mountain ranges in the central highlands of Guatemala. Environmental factors such as steep topography, erodible soils, and intense precipitation events, combined with land subdivision and reduced fallow periods as a consequence of population growth, contribute to severe erosion and strain soil resources. The preservation of the region's cloud forests hinges on enhancing production of staple crops through agricultural intensification while maintaining soil fertility through implementation of soil conservation measures.

土壤侵蚀，对瓜地马拉中部高原上，Sierra Yalijux 和 Sierra Sacranix 山脉中的原住民凯克其（Q’eqchi’）社群的长期土壤肥沃与粮食生产，带来了威胁。诸如陡峭的地形、可被侵蚀的土壤、密集的降雨事件等环境因素，结合因人口成长带来的土地细分与减少的休耕週期，导致严重的侵蚀与土壤资源滥用。保存该区域的云雾森林，取决于透过农业集约化来促进主要作物的生产，并同时透过土壤保育方法的施行，维持土壤的肥沃度。

La erosión amenaza la fertilidad del suelo y la producción de alimentos en las comunidades Q’eqchi’, indígenas nativos de los ramales montañosos de Sierra Yalijux y Sierra Sacranix, en las tierras altas centrales de Guatemala. Factores ambientales, tales como topografía escabrosa, suelos erosionables y eventos de intensa precipitación, combinados con la subdivisión de la tierra y la reducción de los períodos de barbecho como consecuencia del crecimiento de la población, contribuyen a agravar la erosión y a presionar los recursos de la tierra. La preservación de los bosques de niebla de la región depende de la mejora en la producción de cultivos básicos, a través de una intensificación agrícola que mantenga la fertilidad del suelo, con la aplicación de adecuadas medidas conservacionistas.

Key Words: cloud forest,:

• food security
• Guatemala
• soil erosion

关键词:

• 云雾森林
• 粮食安全
• 瓜地马拉
• 土壤侵蚀。

Palabras clave:

• bosque de niebla
• seguridad alimentaria
• Guatemala
• erosión del suelo

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Community Cloud Forest Conservation for their hard work and dedication to make this study possible. We are also very thankful for the assistance of several individuals in the field, including David Chambers, Adam Hager, and Carl Larsen, as well as Megan Neary for her assistance with the land cover mapping. Many communities were closely involved with the study and we are very grateful for their interest and enthusiasm.

Funding

Fieldwork was funded by the Borlaug Fellows program at the Purdue Center for Global Food Security and by Purdue University's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ian Pope

IAN POPE is a graduate student in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include food security and sustainability science in developing countries, land use change impacts, and remote sensing and geographic information systems.

Jon Harbor

JON HARBOR is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include land use change impacts, glacial geomorphology, and geoscience education.

Laura Zanotti

LAURA ZANOTTI is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: [email protected]. She specializes in environmental anthropology, political ecology, and space and place studies.

Guofan Shao

GUOFAN SHAO is a Professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include remote sensing and geographic information systems and their applications in landscape ecology and forest management.

Dawn Bowen

DAWN BOWEN is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include agricultural development, migration, and ethnicity, as well as gender and education.

Gary R. Burniske

GARY R. BURNISKE is the Managing Director for the Purdue Center for Global Food Security at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests focus on multidisciplinary approaches to address challenges facing food insecure households and communities in developing countries around the world.