it is an honour to participate as a  panel member in the First Mexico-UK Interdisciplinary Congress in the session Climate Resilience, Ecosystem Management, and Community-Based Approaches to Climate Change

It has been a pleasure to participate with a talk on this important day at the Technological University of San Luis Rio Colodado.

We have generated a brief policy brief and a video highlighting the potential of the deserts and semideserts in Mexico.

INVITATION VIDEO LAUNCH UoN 5.6.24

INVITATION

Launch of the video

The Impact of Empowering Rural Women

and the associated

 infographics and policy briefs

followed by a discussion forum

Date: Wednesday 5th of June 2024

Hour: 15:00-16:30 UK(GMT), and 8:00-9:30 AM (Managua and Mexico city)

Place: Online webinar. To register and access the event please use this link

Dr Zinnia Haydee Gonzalez-Carranza, Assistant Professor with the Plant Sciences Division, School of Biosciences has been honoured with the Distinguished Mexican Medal for her services to the environment and vulnerable communities in the drylands of Mexico and Kenya.

This is a prestigious award conferred by the Mexican Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Mexicans living abroad who have demonstrated leadership and outstanding contributions in their particular field of endeavour and promote a positive image of Mexico internationally. This global ward is presented to a select few individuals annually.

The medal was presented to Dr Zinnia H. Gonzalez-Carranza by Ambassador Josefa Gonzalez-Blanco Ortiz-Mena in London on the 14th of September 2023 in the presence of David Rutley MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Americas and Caribbean.

https://x.com/Embamexru/status/1704083954171572510?s=20

Mezquite Loteria

As part of our project: ‘Studying the use of mezquite to improve the welfare of communities in arid and semi-arid zones of the world’ we designed and produced an educational board game highlighting the history and uses of Mezquite. This ludic tool was based on the traditional Mexican game Loteria. This game educates and raises awareness of the value and ethics of how mezquite can be used.

We are preparing the academic paper for this resource, watch this space!

Researchers involved include:

Dr Zinnia H Gonzalez Carranza (zinnia.gonzalez@nottiingham.ac.uk), Dr Peter Craigon (bbzpjc@nottingham.ac.uk), Dr Hanne Wagner (pszhw@nottingham.ac.uk) and Dr Kate Millar (kate.millar@nottingham.ac.uk).

 

We thank the following collaborators and members of the public whom contributed to the generation of this game: Dr Julio Rios Saucedo, Elsa Cabrera, MSc Xochitl Soto Luzania, Dr Yolanda Lopez Franco, ME Karina Hernández Bautista, Dr Socorro Gonzalez Elizondo, Dr Arturo Castro-Castro, Dr Juan Manuel Vigeras Cortes, Dr Norma Piedra (CIIDIR), Dr Oscar Koech (U. of Nairobi), Dr Omar Mancera (UAS), Alicia Hinojosa Garcia, Dr Everardo Garduño, Olivia Bringas Alvarado, Jaime Galindo and Jose Antonio Hernández Herrera. We appreciate the comments from Dr Tim Foster and Emma Rudge to improve the document. Contributions.

 

Report of Activities of the project: STUDYING THE USE OF MEZQUITE TO IMPROVE WELFARE OF COMMUNITIES IN ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONES OF THE WORLD

Report, page 1.

Report, page 2.

Report, page 3.

Report, page 4.

OUR MEZQUITE PROJECT VIDEO (ENGLISH VERSION).

You can access the video of our project at this link.

With the help of the Mexican public, we have generated a compendium that we will provide to communities in the arid and semi-arid zones of the countries where we are working. The objective of this compendium is to encourage the sustainable (in Mexico) and holistic use of the mezquite, rescue the knowledge of encourage its use by rural and indigenous communities for them to benefit from this resource, many times underappreciated or exploited to the point of extinction.

The first edition has been possible thanks to the contributions from the Mexican public and each one of its authors that generously sent in their recipes and write ups, from recipes to prepare food and drink to scientific contributions, without leaving behind poems and other uses such as furniture polish.  We appreciate enormously your time and effort dedicated to sending this information.

 

(closes 30th April 2020)

SUSTAINABLE AND HOLISTIC USE OF THE MEZQUITE PRODUCTS MADE WITH MEZQUITE AND ITS DERIVATIVES

Mezquite project segunda convocatoria

The objective of this call is to promote the sustainable and holistic use of mezquite and its derivatives through the generation of a compendium that showcases the diverse uses both in food and in traditional medicine, artistic creations, animal feed, materials for construction and others. The compendium will be hold in the Mezquite Project website for communities to access it. Hard copies will be printed to reach these that do not have access to internet. With the above, it seeks to contribute to the sustainable development of families and communities in vulnerable situations that inhabit the various regions of the world where mezquite is produced, in addition to preserving and sustainably using the species.