Participation of women and men in the post-harvest of native corn in rural communities

Resumen

Objective: To analyze the post-harvest practices carried out by women and men for the conservation of native maize in Tlaxcala, and to identify the limitations they face throughout the process.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative techniques (participant observation and workshops) with quantitative data collection (structured questionnaire). A survey was administered to 117 individuals across two communities.

Results: Post-harvest practices for conserving native maize are largely similar between women and men in the studied communities of Tlaxcala. However, women play a more prominent role in tasks such as shelling, drying, selection, and transformation for household consumption. The knowledge underlying these practices stems from traditional knowledge systems that have evolved over time. Despite this, both women and men face several limitations in executing these practices.

Findings/Conclusions: The primary barriers to effective post-harvest conservation of native maize particularly for women include limited access to training, tools or modern technologies, financial resources, labor, time, and physical capacity.