Announcement: Dan Ioschpe will lead as COP30 High-Level Champion. Read more here.
Parts of this site were translated using AI. Accuracy may vary.
Announcement: Dan Ioschpe will lead as COP30 High-Level Champion. Read more here.
Parts of this site were translated using AI. Accuracy may vary.
Race to Resilience in Action: Reviving Mayan farming traditions to face Mexico’s changing climate
Thursday, 29 May 2025
Regions4
Secretariat of Sustainable Development of Yucatán, WWF Mexico, Intermunicipal Biocultural Board of the Puuc (JIBIOPUUC).
Mexico (Yucatán, Biocultural Region of the Puuc)
Nature (and Food)
1,413 hectares under agroecological management; 18 biofactories; 32 demonstration plots; maize yields increased up to 4x; 300+ women involved in leadership and training; 18 producer groups established.
In the south of Yucatán, across eight rural municipalities, communities are working to protect a farming system that has sustained life for thousands of years. The milpa, a rotational, intercropping system based on maize, beans and squash, has long been central to Mayan identity and survival. But the pressures of deforestation, poor soil management and a changing climate have pushed the system to its limits.
Since 2021, a collaboration between the state government of Yucatán, WWF Mexico and the Intermunicipal Biocultural Board of the Puuc has been working with local farmers to adapt the milpa to today’s conditions. With support from Regions4, a partner of the Race to Resilience, the project brings together traditional practice with agroecological innovation to increase food security, restore degraded land and reduce dependence on harmful chemicals.
The Biocultural Region of the Puuc is home to some of Yucatán’s most culturally and ecologically valuable landscapes. The milpa has long played a defining role in the area, shaping not just food systems, but language, land rights, and the passing down of knowledge across generations. Yet in recent decades, the system has faced growing strain. Deforestation has been driven by conversion to pasture and agriculture, while rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns have reduced yields and forced farmers to take greater risks.
Many households now rely on chemical fertilisers and pesticides that damage soil and groundwater and pose risks to health. At the same time, younger generations are often drawn away from agriculture altogether. Without deliberate intervention, the knowledge embedded in the milpa risks being lost, along with the biodiversity and self-reliance it supports.
Rather than replacing the milpa with new systems, the project focused on strengthening what already exists. Working alongside farmers and local authorities, the team introduced a set of agroecological practices designed to recover soil fertility, reduce input costs and increase the system’s resilience to climate impacts.
These included planting nitrogen-fixing species, increasing fallow periods, managing fire risk, reforesting with native trees, and enriching soils with compost and biofertilisers. Across the eight participating municipalities – Muna, Santa Elena, Ticul, Oxkutzcab, Tekax, Tzucacab, Peto and Yaxcabá – 18 biofactories were established to produce organic inputs, while 32 demonstration plots gave communities the chance to see results in practice. Seed banks, mother gardens and exchange schemes supported the conservation and spread of diverse genetic material across the region.
Knowledge exchange formed a key part of the work. Farmers from different areas came together to share experience, build skills and reflect on how changes were playing out on the ground. Some groups have since gone on to establish additional biofactories using their own funds, while others have begun testing new markets for products grown under these conditions.
The project also addressed structural barriers. In many communities, women are central to milpa production – not just in food preparation, but in seed selection, plot management and garden care. Yet land tenure and decision-making have often excluded them. Training sessions, workshops and policy engagement efforts supported women’s participation and raised awareness around access to land. Youth involvement was also encouraged through hands-on leadership in training and monitoring activities.
The changes are already visible. Across more than 1,400 hectares, farmers are producing healthier food using fewer external inputs. Maize yields, once between 600 and 800 kilos per hectare, have reached three to four tonnes in some areas. Costs have come down, chemical exposure has decreased, and soils show signs of improved structure and fertility.
Communities are also seeing benefits beyond the milpa. Beekeeping, family gardens and small-scale agrotourism are providing supplementary income and broadening the local economy. Four regional gatherings have taken place to support collective learning and exchange, while new alliances with research institutions and local governments are helping the work continue beyond the initial project period.
The project is the result of close coordination between public institutions, civil society and local communities. Led by the Secretariat of Sustainable Development of the State of Yucatán, WWF Mexico and JIBIOPUUC, the initiative was shaped through long-standing relationships and trust. Regions4, as a Race to Resilience partner, has played an important role in surfacing the project internationally and reinforcing the value of subnational and community-led solutions in climate adaptation.
The Race to Resilience is a global campaign working to improve the resilience of four billion people to climate risk by 2030. It does this through a network of partners supporting locally led work in areas such as health, food, water and livelihoods.
The Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contribution aims to share Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, contributions and responses to climate mitigation, adaptation, loss, and damage from across the globe. The Study emphasizes a rights- and responsibilities-based approach, highlighting IPs as agents of change in climate action at local, regional, national, and international levels. It focuses on case studies from the seven UN socio-cultural regions of IPs.
The study is still receiving case studies. To find out more about the study visit here.
