Good farmers : traditional agricultural resource management in Mexico and Central America /

A detailed description of traditional agricultural practices among small-scale farmers in Mexico and Central America (particularly Guatemala). Wilken demonstrates the great variety and complexity of nonindustrial, labor-intensive farming techniques that exist in these regions today. Peasant management of soil, slope (surface geometry), water, climate, and space are examined in chapters that are well organized, amply illustrated (including many photographs), and carefully referenced. Wilken includes data from his own fieldwork. His thesis is that ancient practices have survived because they are rational and efficient given environmental characteristics and social conditions, such as labor abundance and production costs. He suggests that without examining local conditions and local goals for agriculture, modern techniques, such as mechanization, may lead to undesirable results, e.g., displacing labor without necessarily increasing productivity. The concluding chapter is an enlightening but too brief evaluation of the future of traditional farming strategies. The bibliography is excellent. The book seems most appropriate for upper-division undergraduates and graduate students, and should be read by anyone interested in agricultural development.-R.P. Reeve, Southeastern Massachusetts University