Backyard agri-food and sociocultural functions in a Totonac community of Huehuetla, Puebla, México

Abstract

Agroecological principles crystalize in the productive management of the backyard of Totonac houses, whose practices set nature and humans at the center of their traditional knowledge to produce food. This research was carried out in the community of Lipuntahuaca, municipality of Huehuetla, Puebla, Mexico, located at the heart of the Totonac region, aiming to know the characteristics surrounding the food production for self-consumption in Totonac households. Information was obtained through questionnaires applied to a probabilistic sample in 77 households. The results reveal that the backyard is used for the production of food and medicinal plants as well as for livestock raising (poultry and pigs), mainly intended for family feeding. Besides this, it constitutes an important space for the performance of traditional celebrations related to this ethnic group’s worldview.