Welcome to Proyecto Mezquite
The project’s long term ambition is to improve the welfare of less advantaged community groups in the drylands of developing countries, including Mexico, Kenya and Tanzania using Mezquite (Prosopis spp).
We aim to promote ethical, sustainable environmental, socio-cultural and economic development for the benefit of marginalized communities in Mexico, Kenya and Tanzania. We are supporting communities to help themselves, thus all research proposals and solutions proposed by Mezquite Project have been co-created with input from dryland communities.
Mezquite, a tree native to the arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico is extremely resistant to drought and is one of the few species that grows where other plants are unable to survive. In Mexico, we aim to encourage communities to use mezquite in a sustainable and holistic way and encourage reforestation.
Management of mezquite in Africa is challenging and complex, because the tree has become an invasive species that requires a multi-sectorial, multi-disciplinary and multi-national approach. In areas where control by eradication is not possible, we can help communities to utilize mezquite in a productive and commercial way through sharing of traditional and indigenous knowledge from the project member states (Tanzania, Kenya, UK and Mexico) and to enhance research capabilities and innovation in the use and management of mezquite.