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In winding canals and bank fields Mexico CityThe Flower known as Mexican Marigolds have been cultivated for generations, and they headline the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations every year.
But as 50-year-old Lucia Ortiz and other farmers were busy gathering plant clusters to sell in markets around the capital this year, they quietly wondered what would remain of their livelihoods in the future.
That’s because Sempasuchil producers say they are grappling with torrential rains, droughts and other impacts of climate change – caused by the burning of fuels such as gas, oil and coal – which have become increasingly common.
Farmers, who depend on weather fluctuations to cultivate their crops, are at the forefront of the climate crisis.
This year alone, Sempasuchil growers said half of their flower crop was destroyed due to heavy rains and floods.
“This year, we lost a lot. We struggled even to grow cempasuchil. There were moments when we did not have money to buy the necessary fertilizers,” Ortiz said. “With cempasuchil plants, we sometimes have nothing left.”
‘flower of the dead’
The orange flower has become a symbol of the country’s festivities which are celebrated every 1 and 2 November. Also known as the “flower of the dead”, sempasuchil is considered a point of connection between the world of the dead and the living, with glowing petals that illuminate the path of deceased souls to the altars set by their family.
Flowers are also an important economic engine throughout Mexico, with commerce groups estimating that farmers will earn approximately $2.7 million in income by 2025.
Ortiz and his family began growing flowers 30 years ago on a small plot of land they own in Xochimilco, a rural area south of Mexico City, where residents continue ancient agricultural techniques by using canals that run through the fields like a maze.
Every year, local people start sowing marigold seeds in July, and grow the plants as the rainy season arrives. But they say they have been hit hard for consecutive years as heavy rains, drought, floods and other climate changes have made it difficult for their crops to survive.
According to government data, torrential rains that lasted for several months this year destroyed more than 37,000 acres of crops across the country. In a tour of Sempasuchil farms in Xochimilco earlier this month, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said 2 million marigold plants were at risk. Despite this, he said production this year has hit a record of 6 million plants at once as farmers move quickly to meet rising demand while flower growing has become more uncertain.
Ortiz said the excess rain has led to pests, diseases and rotting of his plants’ roots. They estimate that at least 30% of their crop has been lost, while others say they have lost about 50%.
The family has been forced to spend money on pesticides, fertilizers and more to save their crops. As they have, very small profit margins have turned into losses, and they have had to cut back on basics like beef and sweets to make ends meet.
“If I were to take a serious look at all of our losses, I would be incredibly disappointed and wouldn’t even want to add to them,” she said. “We’re just trying to move forward and make sure it keeps going.”
Adaptation to climate change
Just down the road from Ortiz’s farm, government scientists are searching for long-term solutions beyond the short-term economic relief provided by local government. At a small seed bank called Toxinachle, men in white suits carefully select sprouts from lab dishes.
Scientists have been working for a year and a half on saving thousands of seed types of native plant species, including 20 types of cempasuchil, in jars inside jars of giant freezers, in the hope that the storage facility will be a vital tool in fighting the most adverse effects of climate change.
Biologist Clara Soto Cortés, head of the seed bank, said one reason for the crop failure is that farmers in recent years have chosen to use hybrid marigold seed versions. United States of America,
The seed produces a small and uniform-looking plant that is easy to sell in bulk and in places like supermarkets.
But this has meant that farmers have turned away from strong, native breeds, which have longer stock and vary widely in colour, size and texture. The genetic diversity of these Mexican breeds makes them more resilient to the drastic climate changes seen this year, Soto said.
“These native seeds have adapted to different geographical conditions, in high altitudes and lowlands, in places where there is little or no rainfall, or where they need to be resistant to insects,” he said.
“(Hybrid) seeds have been bred for another purpose. It does not have the genetic diversity needed to deal with climate change.”
If more climate events, such as floods, cause growers to lose their entire crops, Soto said the bank will provide seeds to local growers to recover their crops — this time with a more resilient version of what their ancestors have been cultivating for centuries.
carrying on an ancient tradition
Meanwhile, growers are struggling to make a short-term comeback, saying the losses also represent a threat to the farming traditions their families have struggled to maintain on the edge of the dense city of 23 million people.
Carlos Jimenez, 61, has long worked in the fields of Xochimilco, but began growing smaller marigold plants eight years ago when he noticed the hybrid was more marketable. He said that since more of their crops have been destroyed and they have received lower prices due to fungus growing on the roots of the plants, they have begun to consider ways to adapt, such as building greenhouses.
“The plants get sick, rot, and we go out of business,” Jimenez said. “And our tradition goes along with it because this is our economy.”
Producers like Ortiz believe the same. But their deficit means they don’t have the money to build additional infrastructure. Her family and other farmers have appealed to local authorities for help, but they say they have received only a penny for the dollar of what they need. However, the local government has said it will continue to work to compensate farmers for the blow.
She said she has begun to look at other crops she can cultivate that are more resilient than wrinkled orange flowers.
Others, like Jimenez, said that although the plant’s roots may be rotting around it, it is still standing strong.
“This plant has a deep meaning for our lost loved ones,” he said. “These are traditions that we have been carrying on from our ancestors. They cannot just disappear.”