The Complexity of Factors Influencing Commercial Chiltepin Harvesting in the Rio Sonora Valley: Habitats, Roads, and Relationships

Chiltepins (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) are a wild relative of domesticated peppers that grow throughout Mexico and in some pockets of the US. In the State of Sonora chiltepins are the predominant ingredient in salsas and are pickled.Harvested in large quantities from the Rio Sonora Valley chiltepins are distributed for commercial sale throughout the region. Not only are chiltepíns culturally and economically valuable but they are an important component of the local ecology. Information gathered through interviews with harvesters, buyers, and landowners indicates that the wide-scale commercial sale of chiltepins is having significant economic impact in the valley. An interdisciplinary approach to research from both a landscape and human perspective reveals that a diversity of factors influence both the harvest and conservation of this important plant. Land tenure, agricultural potential of land, access to harvesting grounds, and personal relationships are significant in the commercial management and conservation of chiltepins