Bulletin of the Anthropological Study Group on Agrarian Systems Culture and Horticulture in Mexico

Since a g r i c u l t u r a l development i n Mexico has largely f a i l ed to a l l ev i a te poverty and hunger, there i s growing interest i n development s t rategies which have a direct effect on the well-being of the poor. Household gardens are one such strategy which has f requen t l y i f spo rad ica l l y been attempted. I recently spent two weeks i n Mexico as a member of a small team evaluating the potential of household gardening for low-income women. I was struck by the contrast between two major gardening patterns, one a part of t r ad i t ional Mexican agr icul ture, the other based on a North American model. To assess the potential of household gardens as a development strategy, I f i r s t look b r i e f l y at the Mexican food and agr i cu l tura l system. I then discuss the 'two c u l tures' of gardening and conclude with an examinat ion of the benefit to be derived from a policy fostering t rad i t iona l s ty le household gardens.