Good Practice on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems. Co-Innovation to Promote the Pulque Tradition in Jiquipilco, Mexico.

Mexico is considered the geographic center of origin of the Agave genus. The "maquey pulquero" (Agave mapisaga and A. salmiana) is produced and used in central mexico to make a traditional fermented beverage known as pulque, which has been made and consumed since pre-Hispanic times and is still a form of subsistence for rural families.

The maguey provides great ecological, cultural and nutritional benefits. In Jiquipilco, pulque production dates back to the settlement of the Otomí ehtnic group (ñha-ñhú) in pre-Hispanic times. However, due to the discrediting of pulque and its marginal commercialization, few people seek the sustainable production and use of this crop.

The goal of this project was to generate socioproductive innovations for the management and integral use of the maguey pulquero in Jiquipilco, Mexico. The project used the PAR (Participatory Action Research) approach and tools of the Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) methodology. A socio-productive diagnosis of the rural pulque agroindustry was carried out to document the environmental, social, economic and innovation situation in the territory, in order to implement a comprehensive action plan that considered the existing context and capacities.