Can you imagine an agricultural method that has been around since pre-Hispanic times? Chinampas are an agricultural system present in Mexico since that era and, since 1987, they have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The chinampa area encompasses 2,215 hectares located in the boroughs of Xochimilco, Tláhuac, and Milpa Alta, in Mexico City, where 12 rural towns with a rich agricultural, cultural, and, of course, gastronomic tradition can be found.
The chinampa system contains 20,922 chinampas, of which only 17% are active, producing vegetables or flowers, while 83% are potential, meaning they are not cultivated but could be reactivated.
These figures make projects like
Arca Tierra critically relevant for Mexican agricultural heritage, as it has been promoting the recovery of the chinampa area in Xochimilco since 2011, applying the principles of regenerative agriculture and fair trade with farmers.
The importance of chinampas in Mexico is also recognized by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), which includes them in the SIPAM category (Important Agricultural Heritage Systems), as chinampas promote the preservation of: biodiverse systems; diversified agriculture for local and regional consumption; the conservation of habitats for local and migratory species, both aquatic and terrestrial, as well as the cultural, natural, productive, and aesthetic landscape of the chinampa area.
The chinampa area in Mexico faces severe issues, such as the fact that most farmers have forgotten traditional agricultural techniques and instead adopt agriculture based on agrochemicals and monocultures, which endangers the health of producers and consumers, while contaminating soil and water. The lack of market access for producers makes young generations unwilling to work the land, and, in general, the chinampa area is 59% abandoned. Another major problem is pollution in the area from sewage, agrochemicals, and garbage, as well as the lack of regulations to enforce respect for the chinampa area by visitors and tourists.
Arca Tierra, a project led by Lucio Usobiaga, aims to recover the chinampa area through work with chinampa families in agroecology and fair trade. Since its founding, this project has been supported by institutions such as the Universidad de Chapingo, the Institute of Biology of UNAM, and the National Polytechnic Institute.
Since its inception, it has highlighted the importance of conserving chinampas in Mexico City. One of the reasons is that 30% of the water used in CDMX comes from the Xochimilco aquifer, and chinampas serve as a water regulator and purifier; others include that the thousands of trees in the chinampa area produce oxygen, helping to reduce pollution in CDMX; they regulate microclimates and aid in carbon fixation, in addition to being refuges for endemic and migratory species.
If the chinampas are reactivated, they can meet the vegetable needs of all of CDMX. They also promote the preservation of the cultural and agricultural values inherited from pre-Hispanic Mexico. That is why at Kiwilimón, we held a cooking class with chef Mau Eggleton featuring chinampero snacks from Arca Tierra, so you can see, feel, and taste the great legacy of the chinampas.