Purpose:

To identify the local knowledge of two rural communities in the Sierra de Lobos Natural Protected Area, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, and analyze its importance in agroecological transition processes.

Methodological design:

An exploratory qualitative study was carried out based on empirical data obtained in the field through semi-structured interviews and participant observation as well as the analysis of theoretical documents.

Results:

The relevance of local knowledge is shown in the continuity and transmission of an ecosystemic aware-ness. It is expressed through ways of life based on the care of natural resources with the practice of polyculture under the design of spaces for local agricultural production which encourages structural and functional biodiversity; thus, identifying local practices that refer to the possibility of a nascent agroecological transition process.

Limitations:

The investigation is limited to a first stage of diagnosis that has consisted of approaching two rural communities, so it is not representative of a more complex reality such as the one that occurs in Sierra de Lobos.

Findings:

This research concludes that traditional local knowledge allows the continuity of an ecosystem consciousness expressed through a local way of life based on the farming family and a system of reciprocity with the environment in the care of natural resources within a region with few efforts aimed at agroecological transition processes.

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