Ñuu Savi, meaning Rainy People; in the Mixtec indigenous language, offers a
glimpse into the stunning landscape of Oaxaca’s Sierra Mixteca. This mountainous
region provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation.
For generations, Mixtec communities have relied on coffee as one of their most
important agricultural products, shaping both their economy and culture.
Productive Landscapes of the Mixteca
Producers in the region use traditional polyculture systems, where coffee plants grow alongside timber and fruit trees such as banana, cuajinicuil, mango, and citrus fruits like orange and lemon. These mixed plantations create layers of shade that protect coffee plants from harsh weather conditions.
Many families also maintain milpa, a traditional farming system that includes staple crops like corn, beans, and squash, along with other plants like chili, quelite, and papaloquelite. This method supports both food security and economic stability for farming households.
To diversify their income, some families produce honey (around 100 litres annually) and sell roasted coffee along with other agricultural products like bananas.
However, coffee leaf rust has posed a serious threat to traditional coffee varieties
such as Typica, Bourbon (pink and yellow), and Oro Azteca. As a result, some
farmers are shifting to more resistant varieties like Sarchimor, Marsellesa, and
Geisha.
Challenges and Issues
Farmers in the Sierra typically own very small plots of land, often less than
half a hectare. These farms receive little to no agronomic management,
leading to low coffee yields.
Middlemen, known as coyotes, continue to offer extremely low prices for
parchment coffee, limiting producers’ earnings.
Since 2014, pests like the coffee borer beetle and leaf rust have significantly
damaged crops. The región’s lower altitude have been more vulnerable to
these infestations. The situation is also worsened by producers’ lack of
financial resources to invest in tools and supplies to combat these diseases.
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