The Maya Forest Garden: Eight Millennia of Sustainable Cultivation of the Tropical Woodlands (New Frontiers in Historical Ecology)

by Anabel Ford, Ronald Nigh

The conventional wisdom says that the devolution of Classic Maya civilization occurred because its population grew too large and dense to be supported by primitive neotropical farming methods, resulting in debilitating famines and internecine struggles. Using research on contemporary Maya farming techniques and important new archaeological research, Ford and Nigh refute this Malthusian explanation of events in ancient Central America and posit a radical alternative theory. The authors-show that ancient Maya farmers developed ingenious, sustainable woodland techniques to cultivate numerous food plants (including the staple maize);-examine both contemporary tropical farming techniques and the archaeological record (particularly regarding climate) to reach their conclusions;-make the argument that these ancient techniques, still in use today, can support significant populations over long periods of time.

Genres: Plants, Agriculture

260 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2015

Reviews

[Tomek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written defense of the Maya milpa. Ford and Nigh leave no stone unturned in debunking the claim that the Classic Maya civilization fell victim to its own success due to environmental degradation resulting from deforestation for agriculture. They thoroughly consider this issue using historical, archaeological, and ecological analyses. These are the kinds of books that remind me why I chose to do this work.

[Christopher Gow]

Another example of how colonization and conquest destroyed (and is destroying) important knowledge. We have a lot to learn from the Mayan agricultural system.

This book is really well-argued, but pretty technical - makes a really clear case that:
1) the mayans didn't disappear because of poor agricultural management/deforestation
2) the mayans didn't disappear at all... they still live all over belize, guatemala and the yucatan
3) the mayans have a lot to teach the world about sustainable agroforestry and land management,
4) European-descendent scholarship has failed to understand mayan agriculture because Mayan agriculture looks so different from the european/colonialist model.

This also manages to be a helpful resource to anyone looking to imitate mayan agricultural techniques complete with huge appendix of native plants and their uses.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books ever written regarding forest gardening subsistence. Do yourself a favor and read, understand, and implement these principles in your own forested landscape, no matter if it is temperate or tropical.

[Susannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Anthro 269 Spring 2018

Found it boring- botany heavy, analysis-light, good resource for horticulturalists

[Bob Cirino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game changer

[Siddiq Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life.

[Mills College Library]

972.6 F6991 2015