Case study D1. Grupo Vicente Guerrero, Tlaxcala, México (adapted from Ramos, 1998)
Soils in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico have been under cultivation for thousands of years, using traditional and sustainable practices (Gliessman, 1990). However, difficulty in managing sloping soils under intensive farming has led to intense soil erosion and degradation on a state-wide level. Deep gullies scour the landscape, complicating water catchment, silting rivers and degrading natural and agroecosystems. In response to these concerns, more than 20 years ago, peasant farmers in the small village of Vicente Guerrero initiated a program (along with the Quaker House of Friends) to generate, share, and promote experiences that might improve their quality of life and that of their neighbours.
The motivating force behind the success of Grupo Vicente Guerrero is a profound respect for the environment, evidenced in an evolving, integrated, and ever-more sustainable use of local natural resources, and the firm conviction that sharing their discoveries with other farmers is an undeniable, and even a moral obligation. This certainty has allowed the group to patiently put into practice, and successfully refine, a farmer-to-farmer model for transmitting to other neighbouring farmers the knowledge given to them by rural development facilitators and technical experts. Some of the successful management practices adopted by the group are shown in the box opposite.
In addition to having trained more than two thousand peasant farmers (men and women) in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America during the past two decades, members of Grupo Vicente Guerrero (who are also local farmers) count the following as some of their principal successes:
- Significant reduction in chemical fertilizer use by many farmers who had initially rejected natural fertilizers;
- Total elimination of agrochemicals in the production fields of some farmers;
- Group capacity to organize and attract outside funding, thanks to collective experience and well-earned prestige;
- Formal recognition to 15 peasant farmers given by the Government of the state of Tlaxcala for their demonstrated increased agricultural production.
For example, in 1986 one farmer within the group won first prize in state-wide competition for improved yield of dryland maize with a 5.5 T ha-1 grain yield (much higher than average yields in the state).
The experiences of the Grupo Vicente Guerrero highlight the importance of practicing a farmer-to-farmer approach in agricultural development. This practice can contribute greatly to the spreading of improved farming techniques among farmer groups and cooperatives and neighbouring communities. In emphasizing a relationship among equals, the fertile ground for exchanging knowledge is planted, yielding a growing learning experience.
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