El Batán, Mexico
September 3, 2007
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“These are
the biggest maize ears in the world, says
farmer José Elias Partida, “and the
competition lets the world see our maize”. |
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Source: CIMMYT E-News, vol
4 no.
8, August 2007
Long as a man’s forearm, the
biggest maize ears in the world are found in Jala, in the state
of Nayarit, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The traditional
variety of this community is at risk, but a maize festival and
the variety’s value in local culture and dishes keep farmers
growing it, while researchers work to restore and improve its
potential.
At the annual competition for the longest maize ear in the
world, beauty queens and dignitaries wait in obscurity at the
back of the stage, while the spotlight is on the bundles of ears
lined up at the front. As darkness falls over the main square of
the Mexican village of Jala on the evening of August 14, 2007,
the 30 participating farmers are called onto the stage one by
one, carrying their precious ears of maize. Each ear is
systematically stripped of its husks and measured, and the data
are recorded under the watchful eye of its grower. Many reach
more than 30 cm (12 inches), and the first place goes to an ear
36 cm long.
At the height of the rainy season, lush, green fields and
mountains surround Jala. The valley is overlooked by the active
volcano Ceboruco, which last erupted in the 1870s and whose
mineral-rich ash is believed by locals to make the giant Jala
maize grow so well—indeed, it does not reach its full size when
grown outside the valley. The variety is intimately adapted to
its environment and an integral part of the identity and
traditions of the people who grow it. Despite this, like many
traditional varieties throughout Mexico, the Jala maize and the
genetic diversity it carries are under threat of extinction, as
improved varieties take over and young people leave the land
looking for a better life. The competition for the biggest ear
was established in 1981 in an attempt to ensure the preservation
of Jala maize by encouraging farmers to grow it. It is held
every year as part of the village’s two-week Feria del Elote, or
green maize ear festival.
The Jala maize is a landrace—a traditional variety specific to a
particular place that has been grown by farmers over
generations. A number of other, regular-sized, landraces
originating from other parts of Mexico are also grown in Jala.
Collectively they are known as maíz de húmedo, as they have long
growing seasons of around seven to eight months and are planted
in April to take advantage of residual soil moisture before the
summer rains begin.
Key ingredient in rich traditions and dishes
Jala maize grains contain a lot of flour. They are therefore
prized for making boiled or roasted green ears, the Mexican
flat-bread tortilla, pozole (a kind of pork and maize stew),
gorditas (a sweet breadcake), and many other traditional dishes.
But their flouriness also means the kernels are less dense and
thus fetch a lower price on external markets, where maize is
sold by weight.
Improved varieties of maize are inexorably supplanting the Jala
landrace. They are shorter, which makes them easier to manage
and less prone to falling over (lodging) in high winds, and
yield much more (around 7-8 tons of grain per hectare, compared
to around 3 tons per hectare for maíz de húmedo). Even more
importantly, the improved varieties grown in Jala give
relatively high yields of husks, which are exported to the USA
and the rest of Mexico for wrapping tamales, a popular Mexican
dish. The valley’s climate is changing, and the reduced rainfall
also favors improved varieties, which reach maturity in around
four to five months and thus can be sown in drier soils, after
the rains begin. As a result less than 5% of the Jala’s
maize-growing area is currently sown to the landrace.
Furthermore, maize itself is being replaced by cash crops,
predominantly blue agave for tequila and tobacco.
Recovering lost length
Because it has outcrossed with improved varieties, Jala maize’s
prodigious height, ear length, ear thickness, and growing season
have all diminished over the last century. In 1907 a visiting
scientist recorded ears 60 cm long, whereas the longest in
recent times have measured a mere 45 cm. Working to reverse
these trends is J. Aharón Hernández Guzmán, research professor
at the Colegio de Postgraduados, a Mexican agricultural
institution. Hernández is growing landrace seed from 22 farmers
in a plot in the valley to recombine the genetic variation. The
seed will be redistributed to interested farmers, safeguarded in
CIMMYT’s germplasm bank, and re-sown next year to begin
selection for longer ears. He is also growing out Jala landrace
samples from CIMMYT’s bank for selection and combination with
current landrace materials. In addition to recovery and
conservation, Hernández aims to develop varieties with added
value; for example, dual-purpose maize providing good grain and
husk yields, as well as specialized varieties for green ears or
pozole. “This is important for me because, as a genetic
resource, it’s unique in the world,” he says. “Not only that: if
we lose this maize we lose our traditions, culture, and
identity.”
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J. Aharón
Hernández Guzmán inspects his experimental
plot of Jala maize, while standing in a plot
of improved maize. In years when the rains
come early the two types can cross, but
Hernández planted even earlier to avoid this
possibility. |
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Suketoshi Taba, Head of CIMMYT’s Maize Germplasm Collection,
agrees the landrace is a unique expression of Jala’s culture,
and will have value as long as people there choose to grow it.
“CIMMYT holds Jala maize seed in trust, not just as a genetic
resource for the world, but also for the people of Jala,” he
says. “It’s important for us to preserve it on a permanent basis
ex situ in the CIMMYT germplasm bank, and this complements its
conservation in the field.” The Center holds 22,600 unique
collections of Mexican and other maize landraces, and has
provided seed and technical support to numerous researchers and
farmers interested in their conservation and use.
Many reasons to grow Jala maize
But even if Jala maize can be restored and improved, will
farmers continue growing it? Looking to stem the massive yearly
flow of migrants out of the valley, local officials are tending
to support the use of other, more profitable varieties and
crops. “Maize is economically not very important,” says Jala
mayor, Juan José Jacobo Solis.
Jala farmers talk of why they grow the landrace with a mixture
of pride and pragmatism. They take pride in growing the biggest
maize in the world, but also in their long tradition of caring
for the seed. Pragmatically, they grow Jala maize for its high
quality, because they enjoy eating it and because it can fetch
high prices locally. The competition offers both—prizes and
prestige.
Farmers will continue to grow more profitable and reliable
improved varieties to sell the husks and grain. However,
particularly with improved seed and supportive policies, it is
likely that farmers will also continue to grow small plots of
Jala maize for their own consumption and local sale, and for the
competition. Their different purposes are complementary.
Ultimately, the conservation of Jala maize in farmers’ fields is
in the hands of farmers, and depends on the value they place on
it.
As such, Jala is relevant to the conservation of other maize
landraces: where people take pride in their local maize and
value it for local needs such as traditional foods, it will be
preserved. “I will always grow it,” says farmer José Elias
Partida, “and now my son grows it too, and participates in the
competition.” |
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