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Abstract
The revaluation of natural resources is a result of the growing social pressure to generate profitable productive projects, particularly in regions that are agro-ecologically limited. A social intervention was carried out in four communities of the Potosino Zacatecano high plateau, which manage 28 694 ha, in order to identify the abilities that influence the success while collecting the escamolera ant larvae (Liometopum apiculatum Mayr) as economic activity. The behavior of the collectors was analyzed
to identify current and required abilities to suggest the standardization of processes in the value chain. Six types of collectors were identified, according to their orientation in long-term collecting. The profiles reflected technical abilities (nest productivity, collection volumes, resources needed for the extraction, and quality standards of the escamol); of business survival (knowing where to commercialize); and of results-orientation (managing resources obtained, developing a collecting culture, and attaining an acceptable price per kilogram from their efforts). The interest of the collector is to continue taking advantage of the resource around planned projects, improving the presentation and fulfillment of requirements for innocuity as an ability that differentiates his/her product in the market.
