Doctoral Dissertation Research: Conservation Engineering and Cross-Slope Terracing in Mexico

博士论文研究：墨西哥的保护工程和跨坡梯田

• 批准号: 1031676
• 负责人: William Doolittle
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1031676&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Conservation; Engineering

Imitating the works of ancient and native peoples, federal conservation agencies in Mexico build earthen terraces on mountain slopes to capture surface runoff, inhibit erosion, and improve water infiltration into agricultural soils. Doctoral student Matthew LaFevor under the guidance of Professor William Doolittle in the Department of Geography at the University of Texas at Austin will investigate one of these terracing methods, zanja-bordo, for its effectiveness at conserving water and increasing soil moisture levels in agricultural fields of northern Tlaxcala. The impetus for the research is to better understand the mechanics of, and investments in, indigenous water management technologies as mitigation strategies at times of freshwater deficits in the context of climate change. This study will entail volumetric soil moisture sampling and mapping of zanja-bordo terraces, as well as semi-structured interviews with terrace farmers and federal conservation officials. Estimating the moisture levels of both zanja-bordo and control plots, over specific spatial scales, will provide valuable data that will be used to test existing assumptions over their hydrological benefits. Spatial measurements of zanja-bordo terraces in the field will allow for their comparison with the architectural forms specified in the federal design templates used to build them. Variations between these more theoretical design models and actual field measurements would have implications for the long-term effectiveness of terracing projects. Finally, interviews with terrace builders and conservation officials will lend insight into the labor demands, required maintenance and sustainability of zanja-bordo terracing projects. This field study will provide a critical assessment of one of Mexico's major environmental development initiatives. If shown to be effective, zanja-bordo techniques could be used to conserve freshwater resources, increase agricultural productivity, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. More globally, this research will offer a critical perspective on the effectiveness of using indigenous agricultural technologies for modern conservation practices, and it will advance knowledge about water harvesting techniques and the rain-fed agricultural systems upon which many subsistence communities depend. Results of this study will could improve governmental terracing projects that directly affect over 750,000 farmers in rural areas of Mexico by providing critical information and direction for environmental policy-making. The project?s collaborative focus will serve as a conduit for increased communication between conservation officials and local communities, many of which are composed of indigenous groups. Finally, the publication of findings in both U.S. and international journals will broaden interest in human-environment geography.

墨西哥联邦保护机构模仿古代和原住民的作品，在山坡上建造土梯田，以捕获地表径流、抑制侵蚀并改善水对农业土壤的渗透。德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校地理系的博士生 Matthew LaFevor 在 William Doolittle 教授的指导下，将研究其中一种梯田方法 zanja-bordo，以了解其在农业领域节约用水和增加土壤湿度的有效性。特拉斯卡拉北部。该研究的动力是更好地了解本土水管理技术的机制和投资，作为气候变化背景下淡水短缺时的缓解策略。 这项研究将包括对 zanja-bordo 梯田进行体积土壤湿度采样和绘图，以及对梯田农民和联邦保护官员进行半结构化访谈。在特定空间尺度上估算 zanja-bordo 和控制地块的湿度水平将提供有价值的数据，用于测试对其水文效益的现有假设。对现场 zanja-bordo 梯田的空间测量将允许它们与用于建造梯田的联邦设计模板中指定的建筑形式进行比较。这些更具理论性的设计模型和实际现场测量之间的差异将对梯田项目的长期有效性产生影响。最后，对梯田建造者和保护官员的采访将有助于深入了解 zanja-bordo 梯田项目的劳动力需求、所需维护和可持续性。这项实地研究将对墨西哥的一项主要环境发展举措进行严格评估。 如果证明有效，zanja-bordo 技术可用于保护淡水资源、提高农业生产力并改善世界各地干旱和半干旱地区小农的生计。 在全球范围内，这项研究将为利用本土农业技术进行现代保护实践的有效性提供批判性视角，并将增进对集水技术和许多自给社区赖以生存的雨养农业系统的了解。 这项研究的结果将为环境决策提供关键信息和方向，从而改善政府梯田项目，这些项目直接影响墨西哥农村地区超过 750,000 名农民。该项目的合作重点将成为加强保护官员与当地社区（其中许多由土著群体组成）之间沟通的渠道。最后，在美国和国际期刊上发表研究结果将扩大人们对人类环境地理学的兴趣。