As genetically modified crops become more prevalent in Yucatán’s fields and shops, there is a growing concern that traditional heirloom species may be lost forever.
But over the past few years, community seed banks are sprouting up to help preserve Yucatán’s agricultural biodiversity.
One such seed bank named K’an-Lol, in Yaxuná, is “loaning” seeds to subsistence farmers so that they may use these traditional varieties in place of genetically modified seeds.
“We call ourselves a seed bank, but really we are more like a library. Members of the community borrow some seeds and then replace them with new ones from their crops,” explains Martina Ek, who took Yucatán Magazine on tour around their facility.
Most people taking the seed bank up on their offer are subsistence farmers who cultivate their milpa to help feed their families — with occasional small surpluses making their way to local markets.
Earlier: United Nations recognizes the wisdom of the ancient Maya milpa
Local volunteers run Yaxuná’s seed bank with support and expertise from Fundacion Haciendas del Mundo Maya.
“At the foundation, we work with several projects looking to improve the quality of life of people across Yucatán in real and tangible ways through social, environmental, cultural, and health initiatives,” said project coordinator Guadalupe Us García.
Though more vulnerable to drought, traditional varieties of maize, such as the Nuuk Nal, which has a reddish color, tend to be larger and more nutritious than their genetically modified counterparts, according to conservation advocate Nicasio Díaz.
Preservation aside, environmentalists note that maintaining biodiversity is tremendously important for food security. GMO crops have an exceedingly shallow gene pool and, when infected are prone to cause the collapse of agriculture across large regions.
“Genetic pollution” in Mexico has become Exhibit A for critics of crop genetic engineering and the focus of angry charges and counterclaims by biotechnology researchers. Like many disputes about science and technology, this one is linked to economic and resource-control conflicts,” says Kathleen McAfee of Yale’s School of Environmental Studies.
Corn grown in Yaxuná is turned into a variety of foods, including, of course tortillas, using a process developed by the ancient Maya called nixtamalization.
Through nixtamalization, maize is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution of lime water, and it is then washed and hulled. Nixtamalized maize has several benefits, including easier grinding, a considerable increase in nutritional value, and improved taste and aroma.
But despite the efforts of seed banks in rural areas, the vast majority of people in Yucatán continue to eat corn products derived from genetically modified crops.
But thanks to a new awareness of the importance of protecting heirloom varieties of maize and other traditional crops, more and more people are consciously seeking products made from traditional varieties.
In recent years, Yaxuná has also begun attracting the attention of tourists looking to explore the area’s many cenotes and the archaeological site of the same name.
