Field study reveals higher yields in shade house and orange tree vanilla co-cultures among indigenous producers, indicating benefits of modern agroforestry techniques over traditional supports.
Vanilla planifolia cultivation by Totonac people in the ancestral Tajin region represents historical and cultural richness of Mexico. Nowadays, four agroforestry systems are developed for the orchid’s production, that vary in the natural support and technification: “acahual” (reforested system), shade house (rustic greenhouse), co-culture under orange trees ( Citrus sinensis L.), and with local “pichoco” plant ( Erythrina spp.). This study focused on evaluating various attributes of these systems. We conducted semi-structured interviews and field evaluations to learn about the management practices. The variables were analyzed using an amoeba diagram and hierarchical grouping analysis. The shade house system is the most technical and the one that obtained the best yields. The orange tree system allows the vanilla to be in better handling conditions. Finally, “acahual” and “pichoco” are more vulnerable to diseases and environmental changes, related to poor forest management due to Totonac cultural erosion.
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Alejo-Viderique et al. (2026) studied this question.
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