Milpa interspersed with fruit trees for resilience to climate change, environmental sustainability and food security in Nicaragua

Abstract

In this essay, the Milpa System Interspersed with Fruit Trees (MIAF) is proposed to transform the current milpa model, mainly composed of maize and beans. In Nicaragua, more than 900 000 manzanas (632 447 ha) of these crops were planted in the 2018- 2019 production cycle, which, despite their low yields, produce enough for national consumption and in the case of beans with more than 1 million quintals of surplus, to supply markets, especially in Central America. However, this productive model shows symptoms of depletion, especially due to the loss of soil fertility, generated by erosion and a low capacity for nutrient cycling, as well as vulnerability to the phenomenon of climate change. It is argued that the MIAF model applies certain principles of agroecology, which can be improved through the criteria of functional biodiversity and appropriate assemblages, taking advantage of the synergies and the possibilities offered by the restitution of ecological balances in the system. The dissemination of the MIAF system requires participatory research processes that allow understanding the most appropriate combinations of biodiversity; the dynamics and management of pests and diseases using integrated agroecological strategies; the types of pruning that best respond to the objectives of the system, as well as the monitoring of the evolution of the main socio-productive indicators.