Agriculture In Chiapas Takes Regenerative Path Forward
Chiapas is a key agricultural state in Mexico since it produces over 30% of the nation’s agricultural output. Yet for decades, it has relied on conventional farming practices like agrochemicals and post-harvest burning. Seemingly effective at first, such methods are now leading to issues such as soil depletion, declining yields, and deforestation.
However, over the past ten years, a gradual shift toward regenerative agriculture has begun to change this narrative. Farmers, with support from organizations like CIMMYT and The Nature Conservancy, are adopting new practices to restore their land and create a more sustainable future. In this story of impact, we discover the progress made so far, the people and organizations driving these changes, and the collective efforts needed to sustain this journey.
Chiapas, A Region At The Crossroads
Chiapas is a land of contrast.
On one side, it’s a 7.3-million-hectare paradise of rich, green biodiversity, a place where tropical rainforests breathe life into the land and rivers carry the essence of the country’s natural beauty .
On the other, it’s an agricultural powerhouse with over 5.2 million people facing mounting challenges .
The soil is getting increasingly tired due to the decade-long use of agrochemicals and post-harvest field burning.
Forests are cleared for grazing cattle or planting corn.
And only 4% of the agricultural land has irrigation infrastructure, which makes crop yields largely dependent on natural rainfall, which is notably changing its amount and schedule due to climate change.
The introduction of chemical fertilizers and mechanized plowing in Chiapas during the Green Revolution in the 1950s have helped feed families for decades, but today these once-reliable methods are starting to show their limits and contribute to increased soil acidity, loss of biodiversity, and deforestation .
However, things have been changing for a while now.
Sustainable Practices Can Start With Small Steps
Within the last decade, farmers in Chiapas have started implementing small but impactful changes aimed at shifting away from traditional unsustainable practices. Initiated by organizations and advocates of regenerative agriculture, these changes don’t require a complete overhaul of the farmers’ way of life.
For instance, instead of torching the remnants of harvests, some farmers are now leaving crop residues to decompose naturally, enriching the soil in the process . They already saw that such an approach helps maintain the soil’s organic matter.
In the agricultural practice, the decomposition of crop residues is a long-known way to reduce moisture evaporation, minimize the effects of wind erosion, and mitigate overall soil degradation.
Another change has been the introduction of intercropping, where different crops are grown together in the same fields . This practice helps diversify the nutrients in the soil, supports healthier yields, and reduces the need for chemical inputs. It’s a return to older, more diverse planting practices, adapted with a modern understanding of how to tackle the limitations of monoculture farming.
These early changes, though modest, have been playing a crucial role in setting the foundation for broader shifts in agricultural practice among local farmers. Even if it’s not yet regenerative agriculture, it’s definitely a step toward one.
Still, the question arises: How do you scale these efforts in a region as large as Chiapas, where there are over 14 thousand square kilometers of agricultural land and countless small farms, each with its own challenges?
The answer lies not only in convincing individual farmers to change their methods but in providing ongoing support, forming alliances, and helping people transition through financial and technical means. This required a coordinated approach to bring in the resources, knowledge, and networks needed to expand these practices across the entire region.
And notable achievements have already been made in this regard.
How CIMMYT Scales Change Across Region
One organization that stands out in promoting regenerative agriculture in Chiapas is CIMMYT, which stands for ‘International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’. Their focus is to make regenerative practices accessible and feasible for as many farmers as possible around the world.
To learn about their approach in Chiapas, we talked to Francisco Alarcón, Communication Coordinator at CIMMYT in Mexico.
He revealed that their efforts in Chiapas begin with learning the needs of local farmers and addressing the barriers they face when adopting new techniques. Then, CIMMYT employs a combination of joint research, technological tools, and training to help farmers make the transition.
One of their most significant initiatives has been the development of eAgrology, a digital platform that compiles local farming data and provides tailored recommendations . This platform, which has been in development for over a decade, gives farmers information on crop rotation, soil health, and irrigation that is specific to their plots, making the benefits of regenerative practices clear and actionable.
Beyond technology, CIMMYT actively works on building demonstration sites across Chiapas. Those are physical locations where farmers can see the impact of regenerative practices firsthand. Such research platforms also allow them to compare conventional and regenerative methods side-by-side, observing the improvements in yields, soil quality, and resilience. For many farmers, seeing is believing, and these demonstration sites serve as powerful motivators for change.
Training and workshops are another key element of CIMMYT’s effort. They hold educational sessions where farmers learn how to modify their existing equipment and adapt it for conservation agriculture. This step-by-step support helps overcome the initial resistance many small-scale farmers have toward changing their ways.
In regions where access to technology and information is limited, CIMMYT also provides printed materials and works with local technicians who speak indigenous languages to ensure the knowledge reaches even the most remote communities.
While CIMMYT’s efforts have led to promising adoption rates among farmers, scaling regenerative agriculture across Chiapas is a challenge that requires more than one organization to be involved. CIMMYT perfectly understands that and collaborates with other industry stakeholders.
Building trust and adapting to local contexts are just as important as technical solutions. We need to engage all stakeholders and make sure farmers feel supported every step of the way.
This story of impact started as a report about Chiapas farmers steadily shifting to regenerative agriculture thanks to an organization like CIMMYT. However, the level of involvement of various organizations in this process turned out to be far greater than we initially thought.
Government, Institutes, And Businesses Care About Chiapas As Well
On a country-wide scale, the Mexican government has been implementing policies and programs that promote sustainable land use and conservation for a while now. It also provides financial support for regenerative agriculture initiatives in Chiapas through the environment ministry’s climate change fund .
INIFAP, a research institute, contributes its findings to advance sustainable agriculture and forestry practices, supporting regenerative efforts in Chiapas, Guerrero, Morelos, and Oaxaca.
Partnerships with companies like Nestlé Mexico, PepsiCo, and Walmart Foundation provide financial resources and support for advancing regenerative agriculture, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions .
Each of these entities plays an important role in advancing regenerative agriculture, whether it’s providing financial resources, technical knowledge, or access to markets. However, none of these stakeholders focus on Chiapas as much as The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
The latter has taken the lead in forming alliances among conservation leaders, local farmers, and the private sector to help scale regenerative practices in the state. TNC’s strategy is to actively build the connections that can make these practices economically viable for farmers.
To better understand the nature of TNC’s work and its role in coordinating those diverse stakeholders, we spoke to Alejandro Hernández, the Program Manager, who provided a personal perspective on how TNC is making a difference.
TNC: In Chiapas, Soil Is Life
In the conversation, Alejandro brings a much deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in scaling regenerative agriculture in Chiapas. According to him, one of TNC’s primary goals is to build strong alliances that help ensure that regenerative practices are sustainable for both the land and the livelihoods of local farmers.
For instance, TNC helps farmers access the financial resources they need to make the transition to regenerative practices.
This means working closely with financial institutions like FINDECA, which provides micro-loans to smallholder farmers and allows them to invest in new equipment or adopt practices that improve soil health.
The other way is partnerships with companies like Lacteos El Potrero. TNC had worked with this cheese factory to source sustainably-produced milk for the production of new, premium kinds of cheese. Once this demand was established, TNC approached farmers and offered them the potential for better profits if they adopted sustainable grazing methods.
Farmers need to see that the shift to regenerative agriculture will not only benefit the environment but also bring tangible economic rewards. Sustainability must become profitable.
Another key element of TNC’s approach involves promoting the usage of unique plant species that enrich the soil, such as Thitonia, Ingas, Leucaena, Gliricida, and Cratylia. Each year, the organization produces 600,000 plants and trees for productive reconversion, reforestation, and restoration activities. Then, TNC shares them with various municipalities, NGOs, and producers in Chiapas to help naturally restore soil fertility, reduce erosion, and increase water retention capacity through intercropping.
Finally, to scale the adoption of regenerative agriculture, TNC creates networks of territorial innovation called RITers, which in turn establish connections with companies interested in sustainably-made production .
As we talk, it becomes evident Alejandro has a lifelong commitment to conservation. His parents are Chapanecos, he studied biology in Xalapa, and in his early years he worked at the Institute of Natural History.
In 2001, Alejandro joined TNC. He says that even though this organization has played a key role in collaborative efforts for conservation, productive conversion in agriculture and livestock, and pioneering soil restoration in Chiapas since 1986, there is still much more to be done.
For me, soil is life, and our work on restoring soils and changing agricultural practices is foundational for the planet’s future. Although we’ve seen a lot of progress, there’s still much to be done to protect Chiapas’s forests and ecosystem.
But before we get a grasp of the future of the region, let’s take a closer look at the shift already happening in Chiapas.
A Satellite View Of Regenerative Agriculture In Chiapas
Satellite technology offers us a unique lens through which we can see the changes taking place on the ground in Chiapas. EOSDA Crop Monitoring, an online satellite-based precision agriculture platform for field monitoring, and EOSDA LandViewer, a platform designed for access to satellite imagery and geospatial data, allow us to visualize vegetation health, soil conditions, and the effects of different agricultural practices over time.
Below, we share three distinct stories from the CIMMYT site that illustrate the progress and challenges of regenerative agriculture efforts in Chiapas.
Bean Fields Near La Esperanza
The first case brings us to the fields near La Esperanza, where local farmer Miguel is reintroducing the Sangre Maya sort of beans — a staple crop for the region — with the support of CIMMYT, Walmart Foundation, INIFAP, and other agricultural stakeholders . According to a CIMMYT story, Miguel is part of an initiative aimed at renewing bean production in Chiapas through a combination of local traditions and new techniques.
In EOSDA Crop Monitoring, you can see how beans were growing on a field near La Esperanza in 2019 and 2023.
These images allow us to observe clear growth and harvest cycles that align with the typical planting and harvesting schedules for beans. The growing season was clearly visible through the increase in green color, and it is also noticeable that in 2023, the field was greener, suggesting higher yields due to the switch to the Sangre Maya sort.
Interestingly, these bean fields are cultivated in long, narrow strips of land. This pattern is not random but is instead deeply connected to sustainable growing methods. Long strips of land help minimize erosion and maximize water retention, which is crucial for beans, a crop that needs adequate moisture but cannot stand waterlogging. This approach also makes it easier to rotate crops and maintain soil fertility, supporting better harvests over time.
In this CIMMYT story, Miguel reported that the regenerative practices they adopted, such as intercropping and reducing tillage, have significantly improved the overall resilience of his fields.
Reducing tillage and increasing the area under no-till practices is an effective way to help maintain soil structure, improve moisture retention, and significantly reduce erosion.
The collected data supports this observation, showing consistent, vibrant vegetation throughout the growing season of 2023.
Evidently, thanks to these practices, Miguel has reported better-quality bean harvests — a significant outcome that contributes to revitalizing the local agricultural landscape and benefits his family.
Transforming Maize Production Near Villa Hidalgo
For our second case study, we turn to the fields around Villa Hidalgo, where local farmers have been making progress in improving their maize production by using cover crops . Unlike beans, maize is a crop heavily reliant on nitrogen, and its cultivation often leads to soil depletion if not managed correctly.
Through EOSDA Crop Monitoring, we analyzed several fields in the vicinity where cover crops, such as legumes, were introduced to naturally fix nitrogen in the soil. This time, we focused on NDVI (Natural Difference Vegetation Index) to assess plant health.
Since we don’t know the exact fields where cover crops were used, we calculated the average NDVI for a vast area of fields next to Villa Hidalgo in the midsummers of 2018-2024. In general, those fields exhibited more robust growth over time, as indicated by consistent average NDVI growth in 2020-2024. Presumably, the switch to cover crops happened in 2019-2020.
According to the CIMMYT report, local farmers were initially hesitant to introduce cover crops due to the additional labor and costs involved. However, after seeing the improvement in both soil quality and maize yields, they are now convinced of the benefits. Satellite imagery clearly shows that the fields integrating legumes as cover crops not only had improved moisture levels and better plant health but also required fewer mineral fertilizers.
A high-performing legume can fix up to 300kg of nitrogen per hectare, which would otherwise cost farmers around $1 per kg in fertilizer to meet the nutrient needs of the plant. Such a cost-saving effect adds to the appeal of cover cropping, particularly as farmers look to balance both economic and environmental sustainability.
No More Stubble Burning In Tapalapa
The third case takes us to Tapalapa, where local farmers have begun adopting a key regenerative practice: discontinuing stubble burning. This shift is helping to improve soil health and mitigate the long-term degradation caused by previous methods.
Burning crop residues can lead to soil erosion, loss of organic matter, and reduced fertility. By leaving the residues in the field, farmers can enrich the soil naturally and support its regeneration.
To find areas where fires occurred, we manually reviewed satellite imagery retrieved from EOSDA LandViewer. A GIF sequence reveals such fields in Tapalapa and their state during the 2019 growing season. The burned areas are clearly visible and demonstrate the extent of stubble burning at that time.
No NDVI analysis has been conducted for this case to avoid repetition, but it is worth noting that it could reveal improvements in vegetation health over time as the practice of burning was abandoned.
While seemingly simple, these three approaches lay the groundwork for healthier fields and a more sustainable future for agriculture in the region.
The Road Ahead: A Vision For Chiapas’s Future
Chiapas has made multiple important steps toward regenerative agriculture. Much has been achieved in terms of improving soil health, crop resilience, and building stronger farmer networks, but there is still much more to do.
To make necessary efforts even more aligned among all the numerous stakeholders, The Nature Conservancy develops a roadmap for the long-term sustainability of Chiapas’s agricultural landscape up until 2050. Noticing the enthusiasm and commitment of Alejandro Hernández, we have no doubt this roadmap will ramp up the collaboration further.
At EOSDA, we are amazed to see how the increasing number of farmers, NGOs, government bodies, and private enterprises in a single state ensures Chiapas can thrive as a balanced agricultural landscape that supports both ecology and prosperity. With such continued commitment and collective effort, Chiapas is well-positioned to become a model of regenerative success for other regions and countries to follow.
This Story of Impact was created following EOSDA’s vision to make space tech a global driver of sustainability on Earth. If you wish to share a story that relates to this idea and believe our solutions can help develop it, please contact us via pr@eosda.com.
About the author:
Maksym Sushchuk is at the forefront of realizing EOSDA's vision to make space tech a global driver of sustainability on Earth. He has over 15 years of experience in journalism and content creation for prominent Ukrainian startups, charitable funds and ESG businesses. As Head and Co-founder of PR Army Maxim brings attention to the human and social tolls of the aggression against Ukraine.
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