SUSTAINABLE FARMING: THE MAYA MILPA CYCLE

The world’s tropical forests are in trouble. The Maya, however, received everything they needed from the jungle’s bounty and developed a highly sustainable system of agriculture.

True/False

The Maya farmer would begin by plowing his field.

False

A milpa will often have several different species of plants growing in the same field.

True

The milpa cycle allowed the Maya too keep a very high percentage of land forested.

True

A Maya “forest garden” was terrible habitat for wildlife.

False

Food for thought

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Yucatan Peninsula, they introduced European-style monoculture (planting large fields with a single crop plant). Do you think this style of agriculture is better or worse for the area’s biodiversity? Discuss why or why not.

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