Objectives:

To evaluate the application of radical and progressive technologies in the management of rain-fed maize in two municipalities of Puebla-Mexico; to identify the technologies adopted by efficient maize growers and to reflect on their impact on productivity and the peasant-land relationship.

Methodology:

60 surveys were applied in Cohetzala and 118 in Chalchicomula de Sesma (CHS), to assess the adoption of radical (IATR) and progressive (GETP) technologies. Two typologies of producers were developed.

Results:

We found that the IATR was low in Cohetzala and medium in CHS, with no relation to yields. Regarding the GETP, both municipalities showed high values and there was a direct relationship with yields. The typology of maize growers based on productivity revealed that the integration of different technologies in maize management resulted in an innovation that improved yields and sustainability. Most maize growers applied a dialogue of knowledge based on the management of biodiversity, which generates collaborations and symbiosis.

Limitations:

The diversity of flora and fauna cohabiting in the milpa was not measured at the field level; nor did it perform laboratory studies to analyze the attributes of the soils.

Conclusions:

Guaranteeing the right to food requires identifying the efficient maize growers, the evaluation of the technologies applied in the construction of the agro-niche and the reassessment of dialogue of knowledge.