What drives management decisions and grain yield variability in Mesoamerican maize cropping systems? evidence from small-scale farmers in southern Mexico

Abstract

Context. Small-scale cropping systems face enormous challenges in obtaining efficient, stable and predictable responses to grain yields due to their great biophysical, management and socioeconomic complexity. In Mesoamerica, traditional managements have incorporated modern agricultural practices; however, the efficacy of these tools on grain yield and systems´ sustainability is unknown. We explored biophysical, agronomic and socioeconomic drivers determining the maize cropping system and grain yield in Southern Mexico. Objectives. The specific objectives were i) to investigate the effects of geopedologic soil characteristics on maize grain yield, ii) characterise tropical maize cropping systems and model how agronomic factors determine grain yield variability and iii) identify underlying socioeconomic drivers, which determine the agronomic ones and, consequently, the maize cropping systems.