The land that feeds us: analysis of soil pH and physical properties to assess suitability for maize cultivation through a collaborative learning practice at the EMSaD 090 Center in Tlatlauquitepec, Atlixtac, Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

The article presents a collaborative scientific inquiry practice carried out at the EMSaD 090 Center in Tlatlauquitepec, Atlixtac, Guerrero, aimed at determining the suitability of three local soils for maize cultivation through pH analysis and texture assessment. The experience is situated in a rural and Indigenous context where maize constitutes an economic, nutritional, and cultural axis, and where community knowledge about the land offers a central pedagogical resource for science education. Methodologically, the study adopted an educational action research design with a qualitative-descriptive approach, involving 36 third-semester students during November and December 2025. The teams collected samples from three representative sites within the territory, analyzed pH using reactive strips, classified soil texture through the ribbon method, and systematized their observations in field notebooks. The results showed that the site with pine-oak forest cover, clay texture, and pH values between 6.0 and 6.5 presented the most favorable conditions for maize cultivation, while the other soils require differentiated amendments due to physical and chemical limitations or degradation associated with monocropping. The experience demonstrated that the articulation between school-based scientific knowledge and community agricultural knowledge fosters situated learning, strengthens student participation, and legitimizes diverse ways of understanding the territory. It is concluded that these types of practices contribute to contextualized, collaborative, and socially relevant science education. In addition, they project the school as a space for intergenerational dialogue, territorial research, and the collective construction of knowledge.