Restauration de sols volcaniques dégradés de l'altiplano mexicain par plantation d'agaves, d'herbes et d'arbres

On the Michoacan state in Mexico, 55% of the surface is degraded, 27% due to water erosion. The Cointzio watershed, located upstream of Morelia the regional capital, in the middle of the Mexican altiplano, is representative of this situation. During the last decade, multidisciplinary research programs have been conducted in this area. Based on this results, a participatory program (DESIRE Desertification mitigation and remediation-Iand) was conducted, involving researchers, farmer communities, institutions and politics to lead proposais to reduce erosion and restore soils already degraded. The selected proposai is the agave-forestry based on the association between an endemic agave (A. inaequidens) , local trees multipurpose and medicinalannuals. These plants grow for a year in greenhouses, managed by communities. Then, agaves are planted, some in dense contour lines to create an anti-erosion system self-maintain and the others, with more space, in association with trees and annuals. These agaves are harvested after 7 to 14 years, replaced by new one. After processes, they provide mezcal (alcohol) whose priee is 10 times higher than traditionally grown corn! With these comfortable incomes, rural communities will no longer need to leave their land and have means to manage their resources in a sustainable way, preserve biodiversity, protect and restore their sail.