Itza Maya Tropical Agro-Forestry [and Comments and Replies]

Atran, Scott; Chase, Arlen F.; Fedick, Scott L.; Knapp, Gregory; McKillop, Heather; Marcus, Joyce; Schwartz, Norman B.; Webb, Malcolm C.

doi:10.1086/204212

Cited by 135 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…Let us consider an example that will elicit revisionist intuitions of many philosophers: the common (e.g. Atran [1998];Forth [2010]) assumption of a taxon with the extension of bats and birds. While such a bat-bird taxon differs from bol lu' in not being reducible to obvious utilitarian concerns, one may justify revisionist intuitions by arguing that such a taxon only reflects one superficial property (the ability to fly) instead of real biological discontinuities that characterize genuine natural kinds.…”

Section: Revisionismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous and Scientific Kinds

Ludwig

2017

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

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The aim of this article is to discuss the relation between indigenous and scientific kinds on the basis of contemporary ethnobiological research. I argue that ethnobiological accounts of taxonomic convergence-divergence patters challenge common philosophical models of the relation between folk concepts and natural kinds. Section 5 suggests that an adequate model of convergence-divergence patterns requires an extension of this model through a concept of domain-transcending SPCs and "categorical bottlenecks" in the sense of Franklin-Hall [2014]. Section 6 evaluates the relevance of these findings for contemporary debates about natural kinds.

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Section: Revisionismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous and Scientific Kinds

Ludwig

2017

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

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“…In addition to the four methods of agriculture mentioned above, it is has been proposed that the Classic Maya engaged in agro-forestry (Atran 1993, Gomez-Pompa & Kaus 1990. Rather than cut down extensive tracts of land to build their cities, the Maya maintained a constant supply of trees within their city limits.…”

Section: Previous Research On Classic Maya Cultivation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Atran (1993), for example, argues strongly that the Itza Maya of Peten practice a form of agro-forestry, which was passed down to them from earlier times. Atran argues that knowledge of this agricultural method was preserved in the social memory of the Maya from Early Classic times.…”

Section: Previous Research On Classic Maya Cultivation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although much attention on ancient Maya agriculture has tended to center around one particular subsistence plant, namely maize, and the monocropping thereof using a well understood cultivation strategy, studies such as Atran's (1993) have been reporting more complex methods. One such instance of complex strategy that has been observed is the use of housegardens for growing not only subsistence plants, but also certain medicinal plants as well (Anderson 2003, Kashanipour & McGee 2004).…”

Section: Previous Research On Classic Maya Cultivation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize

Abramiuk

Dunham

Cummings³

et al. 2011

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Paleoethnobotanical analysis of anthropogenic soils sampled from archaeological features dating to the Classic Maya Period (A.D. 250-900) reveal diagnostic phytoliths that help the authors bring to light evidence of a novel sustainable agricultural strategy and a variety of nutritional and medicinal plants that were utilized by the Classic Maya of the Maya Mountains, Belize, Central America. Given the archaeological context of these phytoliths, the authors infer that the plants from which they were derived were exploited by the Classic Maya of the region. These discoveries have the potential for improving health and wellness regionally in the present since the agricultural strategy that is reconstructed demonstrates an intensive means of cultivation that has the potential of sustaining large, dense populations. The nutritional and medicinal plants alluded to, in turn, provide further evidence in support of the utilization of traditional knowledge in sustaining community health and wellness. IntroductionIn recent years, the view of the ancient Maya, as imprudent exploiters of their environment with little regard for sustainability (e.g., Diamond 2005), has begun to change (Ford & Nigh 2009). Research has shown that the Maya lowlands during the Classic period (A.D. 250-900) were one of the most densely populated areas in the world (Fagan 2004:284). In some regions in the Maya lowlands, such as the southern Maya Mountains, population density estimates near 300 persons per squared kilometer (Abramiuk 1998). This estimate is quite staggering, especially if we consider that the people of this particular region had no efficient means for importing foodstuffs and therefore Published: June 30, 2011 Ethnobotany Research & Applications 258www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol9/i1547-3465-09-257.pdf

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“…The CEEOT-MMS has already been used for an assessment of manure application practices for animal feeding operations for the entire state of Texas (Osei et al 2004), and future applications of the system will be expanded to other U.S. regions and to a wider range of environmental indicators. Other novel applications and adaptations can also be expected to unfold in future use of EPIC and APEX, such as the continued work on assessments of ancient Mayan agriculture by Hayes and Wingard (2002), who build on the work of Wingard (1996) by simulating the effects of "Milpa" (Atran 1993) and other cropping systems in EPIC that were likely used by the Mayan people in Belize.…”

Section: Emerging Epic and Apex Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical Development and Applications of the EPIC and APEX models

Gassman

Williams²,

Benson³

et al. 2004

2004, Ottawa, Canada August 1 - 4, 2004

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The development of the field-scale Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC) model was initiated in 1981 to support assessments of soil erosion impacts on soil productivity for soil, climate, and cropping conditions representative of a broad spectrum of U.S. agricultural production regions. The first major application of EPIC was a national analysis performed in support of the 1985 Resources Conservation Act (RCA) assessment. The model has continuously evolved since that time and has been applied for a wide range of field, regional, and national studies both in the U.S. and in other countries. The range of EPIC applications has also expanded greatly over that time, including studies of (1) surface runoff and leaching estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus losses from fertilizer and manure applications, (2) leaching and runoff from simulated pesticide applications, (3) soil erosion losses from wind erosion, (4) climate change impacts on crop yield and erosion, and (5) soil carbon sequestration assessments. The EPIC acronym now stands for Erosion Policy Impact Climate, to reflect the greater diversity of problems to which the model is currently applied. The Agricultural Policy EXtender (APEX) model is essentially a multi-field version of EPIC that was developed in the late 1990s to address environmental problems associated with livestock and other agricultural production systems on a whole-farm or small watershed basis. The APEX model also continues to evolve and to be utilized for a wide variety of environmental assessments. The historical development for both models will be presented, as well as example applications on several different scales.

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Itza Maya Tropical Agro-Forestry [and Comments and Replies]

Cited by 135 publications

References 0 publications

Indigenous and Scientific Kinds

Indigenous and Scientific Kinds

Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize

Historical Development and Applications of the EPIC and APEX models

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