The availability of food in Mexico: an analysis of 35 years agricultural production and its pro-jection for 2050

Abstract

Over the next 35 years, the greatest challenge which will face Mexican agriculture is to ensure the food supply for the population of México. The objective of this work was to analyze the agricultural production in Mexico in the last 35 years and its projection for 2050. From 1980 to 2015, the Mexican population grew by 67 por ciento, to meet their food demand, the agricultural production increased 117 por ciento through to increase 67 por ciento the crop yield and 23 por ciento the cultivated area. Between 1980 and 2015 the land available per capita decreased 31 por ciento, this means that in the future to increase the agricultural production, the farmers must focus in improving the crop yield. The gain yield achieved in cereals, vegetables, fruit, forages and industrial crops during the analyzed period indicates that in a future it is possible to ensure its supply for this way. However, since on legumes and oilseeds species the gain yields on the past has been scarce, on the short term, there will be needed to invest in research and agricultural infrastructure that will help to improve your productivity. These results suggest that farmers in Mexico will be able to produce the food that future demands the population, however to ensure its supply, there will also be necessary to improve their access and most importantly distribute them fairly.