Facing Disaster,
Seed Guardians Defend the Past and the Future

In a small backyard in the rural community of Xoy, on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, a group of 20 farmers gather in the shade of banana trees to inspect a selection of corn cobs.  

Some of the cobs are the traditional light-yellow hue of the criollo variety. Others are a deep purple or vibrant orange. One, known as Pish Christo, or “Blood of Christ,” has yellow kernels splattered in red streaks. All of them are native maize — and this kaleidoscope of corn is the lifeblood of these farmers, who call themselves the Seed Guardians.  

The Seed Guardians, a group of 150 total farmers from surrounding communities, are committed to collecting and preserving the genetic diversity of native corn species in their region. Formed over two decades ago, the group meets once a month to plan, strategize and share experiences in a concerted effort to selectively breed the best adapted varieties of native corn in their communities.  

“Here in Xoy, there would be no people, no sustaining our families, if it weren’t for the milpa — our fields — and the income that comes from it too,” said Ricardo David Kumul Canul, a 61-year-old farmer, who has been a Seed Guardian for 17 years and is currently supported by Heifer’s Milpa for Life project. 

Mexico's Yucatán peninsula lies in the path of many Atlantic hurricanes, which increase in frequency and intensity annually from June through November, threatening the livelihoods of the region’s farmers. And with last year’s arrival of El Niño, a climate pattern that brings warmer sea temperatures to the Pacific Ocean and triggers extreme weather events across the globe, there is much uncertainty about the livelihood integrity of farmers like Ricardo.  

“Another problem we face in the field is a lack of rain as we don’t have an irrigation system,” said Ricardo. In the dry season, which typically runs from November through May, milpa production suffers. “Sometimes we have long periods — 15 days — without rain,” he added. “We lose the plant and work for nothing.” 

Supporting farmers to earn a viable income and produce enough food to keep hunger at bay, while mitigating and adapting to climate change, is core to Heifer’s work around the world. In Yucatán, this is of particular importance as over 36 percent of the population live in moderate poverty and 11 percent in extreme poverty.

Well before dawn, Ricardo takes to his field, sometimes arriving as early as 3 a.m. in an attempt to avoid the baking heat of the midday sun. There, he tends to his corn, beans and squash for as many as eight hours — until 11 a.m. — before traveling home. Most days he returns to his milpa again in the afternoon, staying until the sun dips below the horizon. 

“We don’t use any machines,” said Ricardo, whose father and grandfather were both proud milpa farmers. “We tend to this all this by hand. Our investment is our time and work."

What that work looks like varies by day and time of year. Sometimes it involves refreshing the pest traps he makes out of hollowed plastic containers, into which he pours a natural mixture of pineapple juice and sugar cane, to attract and kill destructive moths.  

Other days, he carefully harvests seeds from his squash which he will later feed to his chickens, gently breaking the gourds open with a machete, wary not to damage the flesh too much. What seeds he doesn’t dry and roast at home to consume with his parents and grandmother, he sells at the market for up to 80 pesos per kilogram, about $5 per 2 pounds, depending on demand. 

And of course, there’s the corn, which he takes great pride in coaxing from high-quality native seed to plants over 3 meters, or 10 feet, in height.   

In the shadow of an unpredictable climate, these Indigenous seeds, meticulously cultivated by Ricardo and the other Seed Guardians to grow well in current conditions, are the connecting thread between a vibrant history and a resilient future. Once mature, the towering stalks are the foundation of the harvest he relies on to feed his family. 

“My greatest satisfaction is to work hard,” said Ricardo, who, with Heifer’s support, has also begun diversifying his production with a backyard poultry flock that provides his household with eggs and extra income to withstand unexpected crises.

“The milpa benefits us significantly,” he added. “We live off our production.”