caa a22 4500 386316104 CHVBK 20180307111605.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161130s1988 xx s 000 0 eng 10.1017/S0889189300002058 doi S0889189300002058 pii (NATIONALLICENCE)cambridge-10.1017/S0889189300002058 Traditional management of a hillside agroecosystem in Tlaxcala, Mexico: An ecologically based maintenance system [Elektronische Daten] Traditional agricultural systems are increasingly being recognized as important examples of ecologically sustainable production methods and as such deserve agroecological attention. In a study of terrace agriculture in Tlaxcala, Mexico, the authors identify several management features which have been used for as long as three thousand years. The theoretical approach employs the notion of open versus closed agroecosystems for examining soil and water management, species diversity, and nutrient cycling. In the traditional system, conservation of existing resources is the distinctive feature whereas, with modern techniques, the emphasis is on replacement. The most distinctive feature of the Tlaxcalan agroecosystem is the terrace/cajete complex which serves to contain heavy downpours and trap eroded soil, ensures diversity of plant species, and traps and concentrates nutrients. The functioning of this traditional system is endangered by new management strategies that have responded to external political, economic and social pressures for change. This article discusses the ecological repercussions of these new practices and suggests ways that appropriate elements may be integrated to promote the sustainability of food production. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988 agroecology nationallicence water management nationallicence sustainable agriculture nationallicence food needs nationallicence increasing population nationallicence Mountjoy Daniel C. Graduate Student in Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. Gliessman Stephen R. Associate Professor, Board of Environmental Studies, and Director, Agroecology Program, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture Cambridge University Press 3/1(1988), 3-10 0889-1893 3:1<3 1988 3 AJA https://doi.org/10.1017/S0889189300002058 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0889189300002058 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Mountjoy Daniel C. Graduate Student in Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gliessman Stephen R. Associate Professor, Board of Environmental Studies, and Director, Agroecology Program, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- American Journal of Alternative Agriculture Cambridge University Press 3/1(1988), 3-10 0889-1893 3:1<3 1988 3 AJA CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-cambridge