Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihoods of the Mexican Population Under Market-Oriented Reforms

Abstract

The objectives of this chapter are threefold: (1) to evaluate the effect of reforms and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in agricultural production and food security on the rural economy and the livelihoods of the population of Mexico with special attention to maize (the major staple food of Mexico), (2) to reflect on the future of food security and the livelihoods of Mexicans, and (3) to draw lessons from the Mexican experience for other ‘emerging economies’. Section 6.2 of the chapter presents a summary of the main market-oriented reforms applied to agriculture, pointing out their expected effects. Section 6.3 presents the tendencies of agricultural trade and production, with special attention to Mexico’s basic crops (major grains and oilseeds). In Sect. 6.4, the author studies the structure of crop production and its changes, assessing the role of agriculture by farm size in food security and the livelihoods of the Mexican population. Section 6.5 proposes hypotheses that explain why, contrary to expectations, the production of grains—non-competitive crops under NAFTA—has not collapsed. Finally, based on the author’s research, the conclusion presents policy options for the Mexican State while drawing lessons that the Mexican experience can provide to other emerging economies on food security and livelihoods.