Conocimientos tradicionales y prácticas de manejo del huerto familiar en dos comunidades tlahuicas del estado de México, México

The indigenous communities of Mexico generally have a long history of using local ecosystems, a process through which they have developed extensive. Knowledge and techniques for handling their environment. Previous studies have documented that emigration can affect the loss of traditional knowledge, as well as the incorporation of new knowledge. We propose that these changes can be various - sometimes imperceptible - and can erode or enrich the traditional knowledge if migrants maintain a permanent contact with their community and their homes are bound to the primary activities. This study used quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine the orchard management practices and the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in family units with immigrant members and family units without immigrants. There were no significant differences in the orchard management practices associated with the immigration status of its members. Differences found in relation to the traditional knowledge were associated with the gender, age, occupation, and economic immigration status of the individual. We propose that migration is not necessarily a factor that leads to the loss of traditional knowledge in communities; therefore, it is important to take into account specific characteristics of the migration, such as the age and the gender of the migrants, as well as the mechanisms and capacities of the community institutions to integrate migration as a strategy.