Authors
Mauricio R Bellon
Publication date
1991/9
Journal
Human Ecology
Volume
19
Pages
389-418
Publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Description
This paper presents a case study of the relationship between farmers' knowledge of maize varieties and their selection and management of these varieties under conditions of technological change. Research for this paper was done among Spanish-speaking small farmers in an ejidoof central Chiapas, Mexico. This ejido is well integrated into the market, and the use of modem technologies is widespread. This research demonstrates that farmers have an extensive and widely shared knowledge of their maize varieties. This knowledge reflects objective maize characteristics. Variation occurs in the farmers' selection and management of maize varieties, but on average the variation deviates from a random pattern in the direction predicted by the farmers' knowledge base. They have incorporated the technological changes brought about by development into their knowledge base. Farmers maintain maize …
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Scholar articles
MR Bellon - Human Ecology, 1991