Abstract: Considering that tourism is an activity that contributes to the well-being of rural communities, a method is proposed to identify and evaluate tourist attractions, based on their landscape quality and their social viability. The method consists in the design and combination of scenic, functional and interpretive indicators to evaluate the quality of the landscape; and in the recognition, through interviews and surveys, of the perception that the local community has of tourism, their interest and willingness to participate and their level of organization. The research was developed in Atlautla, a municipality near Mexico City. Twenty-nine tourist attractions were identified, including seven high-quality landscaping and preference, from which it would be viable to expand the benefits of tourism activity in the community. Although the community has sufficient knowledge, interest and willingness to participate, it lacks adequate organizational capacity.

Resumen: Considerando que el turismo es una actividad que contribuye al bienestar de las comunidades rurales, se propone un método para identificar y evaluar atractivos turísticos, con base en su calidad paisajística y su viabilidad social. El método consiste en el diseño y la combinación de indicadores de tipo escénico, funcional e interpretativo para evaluar la calidad del paisaje; y en el reconocimiento, mediante entrevistas y encuestas, de la percepción que la comunidad local tiene del turismo, su interés y disposición por participar y su nivel de organización. La investigación se desarrolló en Atlautla, un municipio cercano a la Ciudad de México. Se identificaron 29 atractivos turísticos, incluyendo 7 de alta calidad paisajística y preferencia, a partir de los cuales sería viable expandir los beneficios de la actividad turística en la comunidad. No obstante que la comunidad tiene suficiente conocimiento, interés y disposición en participar, carece de una adecuada capacidad organizativa.

Abstract: Proposals for local economic development are frequently addressed without having a previous diagnosis on social feasibility, which in many cases leads to excessive time, effort and resources invested in project development, or to the failure of these projects in the early years of operation. This is a recurring issue in rural communities of several countries where, given the urgency to address short-term needs, resources are used without proper planning, consensus or optimal social participation of the local population, all of which translates into resource-use models characterized by a low sustainability. Given this issue and considering that alternative tourism may be a good opportunity for local development without compromising the principles of sustainable development, this study assessed the social feasibility of alternative tourism in a small rural town with an adequate natural and cultural tourism potential. The project was conducted in the municipality of Atlautla, located in the Popocatepetl volcano's western slope in central Mexico. The study area corresponds to a temperate mountain ecosystem that, due to its ecological potential and complex biological and anthropic interrelations, displays an interesting landscape mosaic, which sets the grounds for a large variety of tourist attractions. The study considered that the social feasibility of tourism depends on three major factors: the local population's perception on tourist potential, the willingness and interest to participate in tourism activities and projects, and the organization and collaboration level within the community. First, 29 tourist attractions were identified and classified based on the diversity of landscape across the study area, through visits scheduled on the basis of the availability of key informants and their recommendations. These attractions were mapped and classified according to the typology of the Inter-American Tourism Training Center (CICATUR) of the Organization of American States (OAS). Tourist attractions were inventoried by applying an original method based on the use of indicators with a format that includes three basic landscape components (biotic, geomorphological and cultural) and three assessment criteria (landscape, environmental and educational-academic). The social feasibility of tourism regarding the 29 attractions identified and field-assessed was undertaken by conducting random surveys and interviews that involved different social parties. Surveys were designed based on 17 indicators that address the three dimensions mentioned for social feasibility. For their part, interviews were designed and conducted with key community informants (political and religious leaders, and representatives of several government levels). The results obtained revealed that local inhabitants have a fairly clear perception of the territory's tourist potential, especially as regards the mountains, and addressing leisure and relaxation objectives. With regard to the community's opinion on visitors, a positive finding was that most of them acknowledged that the presence of tourists is necessary and expressed appreciation for the visitors. The general view was that the economic benefits from their current activities are moderate or low, and that the local development of tourism could yield greater benefits. However, despite the certainty about the potential benefits associated with tourism and the interest expressed to participate in a wide variety of activities, the specific willingness and the effort that would hypothetically be dedicated to this respect were not as high as could be expected. This may be due to the community's suboptimal organization capacity. The union and collaboration between local inhabitants were rated by most respondents as regular or poor, acknowledging differences and internal conflicts. Furthermore, the existence of individual and group leaders was also mentioned, whose work in the community is perceived as regular. These limitations contribute to the apparent inconsistency between the community's high tourism potential and its current social possibilities.

Resumen: Con frecuencia las propuestas para el desarrollo local son abordadas sin un diagnóstico previo que permita conocer su viabilidad desde el punto de vista social. La investigación está enfocada a evaluar la viabilidad social del turismo alternativo en una localidad con un adecuado potencial natural-cultural para este tipo de actividad, como lo es el municipio de Atlautla, en la vertiente occidental del volcán Popocatépetl. Se consideraron tres factores determinantes: la percepción local del atractivo turístico, la disposición e interés de participar y el nivel de organización de la comunidad. La información se obtuvo mediante encuestas aleatorias y entrevistas con informantes clave; paralelamente se realizó el inventario y valoración de los atractivos turísticos de la comunidad. Los resultados obtenidos dejan ver que los habitantes tienen un conocimiento claro del atractivo turístico de su territorio y suficiente interés y disposición en participar; sin embargo, su capacidad organizativa no es óptima y está limitada principalmente por diferencias y conflictos internos, mostrando una inconsistencia entre el alto potencial turístico de la comunidad y sus posibilidades de orden social actuales.

ABSTRACT Cover crops may improve vineyard soil properties, grapevine nutrient status and berry composition, however, factors such as cover crop type, annual rainfall, climate and irrigation may change their effects on vineyards. From 2008 to 2011, the effects of a non-permanent cover crop and two pruning techniques on soil as well as vine nutrients and grapevine performance of two vineyards (cv. Tempranillo and cv. Bobal) were evaluated. For that purpose, two legumes were sown in inter-rows of hand-pruned vines in February and were tilled at flowering. Soil tillage, or cover cropping, was combined with either light pruning or severe pruning to study foliar nutrient variations. Soil N, P, K and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined in samples taken from the Ap1 horizon in January prior to vine pruning. Foliar N, P, K contents were measured in leaves sampled upon grape veraison. The differences between vineyards with cover cropping and bare soils suggest that legumes positively affected soil N (1.55 vs. 1.68 g kg−1 and 1.49 vs. 1.76 g kg−1 in Bobal and Tempranillo vineyards, respectively) and soil organic matter (SOM) (12.5 vs. 15.5 g kg−1 and 12.9 vs. 17.2 g kg−1 in Bobal and Tempranillo vineyards, respectively). The use of cover crops did not affect grapevine yields nor quality of Bobal and Tempranillo berry . Cover crops, or light pruning, did not alter the foliar N, P, K contents of both cultivars since their concentrations were similar to those found in the leaves from vineyards with soil tillage or severe pruning.