Swidden Counts: A Petén, Guatemala, Milpa System

The traditional swidden (milpa) system practiced in Petén, Guatemala (in the southern Maya subtropical moist lowlands) closely resembles pre-Spanish conquest milpa farming. Evidence suggests that the Petenero milpa (a type of agroforesty)—based on 1:6-year crop:fallow cycles and two harvests/plot/year—is sustainable across time, does not deplete the resource base, is compatible with biodiversity conservation, and enables one farm family to produce enough to feed itself and two to three other families. By managing no more than 60% of Petén’s 35,854 km2, traditional milperos (farmers) could have provisioned, by very conservative estimate, 3–4 million people. Greater knowledge of traditional milpa farming can help explain certain aspects of precolumbian Petén history and may help impoverished families in contemporary Petén cope with chronic food insecurity.