ECONOMIC TRANSITION FROM TRADITIONAL TO COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE: THE CASE OF EL LLANO, MEXICO1

Abstract

ABSTRACT El Llano is the southwestern quarter of the State of Aguascalientes in Mexico. Its economy in 1962 and 1963 was based upon three major activities: corn and bean farming, dairying, and export of labor services to the United States. The low levels of per family income found in the region were caused by low levels of productivity of corn and bean agriculture, for two reasons. First, income from corn and beans formed nearly half the gross regional income. Second, several of the other sources of regional income were technically tied to the level of harvest of corn and beans owing to the use of the harvest and its by-products as inputs to the other activities. The level of productivity in the cultivation of corn and beans was very low primarily owing to two causes. El Llano is located on the arid margin of corn and bean agriculture in Mexico. Also, the level of traditional technology is primitive. Moreover, El Llano's farmers were cultivating their land so intensively that the marginal productivity of ...