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Henequen

Although the cultivation of henequen is not strictly a traditional agricultural practice, it should be mentioned in any discussion of Yucatán agriculture. For much of the 20th century, the sisal fibre produced from henequen, (Agave fourcroydes) was the foundation of economic activity in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.  After World War II, due to surplus production in other parts of the world, and the development of synthetic fibres, the market demand for sisal dropped.  As a result, in the 1960’s many areas of sisal were abandoned, and the decline of what was in essence a monoculture left a wounded agricultural economy, and an underemployed workforce(18). However, due to government intervention, sisal production continued, and in 1970, partly due to a lack of alternatives, 50% of Yucatán’s population remained employed in the production and processing of sisal(14).  The industry
finally collapsed in 1992, when the government stopped subsidizing henequen production(14).  The ‘Henequen Zone’ in its heyday covered approximately 200,000 ha; in 2000 only 7% of this area remained under henequen(10). As a result of the reduction in henequen production, many ‘campesinos’ were left without employment,Rows of cultivated henequen. Images.wildmadagascar.org
no clear options for earning a living from the natural resources available, and once again Milpa emerged as an important form of land-use and agricultural practice.

An abandoned henequen hacienda. Photo: D. Parsons.

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