Permanent crisis of the Mexican village | Article

Mario Luis Fuentes*

In the midst of a mediated discussion that is not strictly public, the results published by INEGI regarding the agricultural census went unnoticed by the majority, once again missing the opportunity to open a national debate. , about the relevance of the matter, about the development problems that remain for our country.

The data reveal the magnitude of the challenges that cannot and should not be ignored, as they imply a large number of challenges and opportunities across a huge variety of agendas, some of which are historical and structural in nature, while others represent new dynamics that require far-reaching intersectoral efforts to address.

Mexico has 4.44 million agricultural products, ranging from small plots to powerful production centers dedicated to export production, according to INEGI, making it one of the most dynamic sectors of the national economy. economy.

In version 4.4. million production units employ 27.25 million people, of which 22.82 million are men and 4.42 million are women. Of the indicated total number of producers contributing unpaid labor, a record 3.32 million; plus 5.77 million relatives of the producer, as well as those providing unpaid work: of which 4 million are men and 1.73 million are women.

Notably, these figures do not match those given by the National Employment and Employment Survey, which says there will be three million people employed but not earning income from their jobs; the data is much lower than those recorded in the agricultural census; This does not mean that there are likely to be people doing unpaid work in the rural sector, but that they may be doing paid work in other sectors.

On the other hand, the census estimated the number of people who provide paid employment in the agricultural sector at 2.1 million, of which 1.8 million are males and 302,093 are females. Similarly, 16.05 million people will work as day laborers in agriculture, of which 12.2 million are men and 1.84 million are women.

It is worth noting that the states of Chiapas, Puebla and Veracruz reported the highest number of economic units; but they are not necessarily the ones that contribute the largest share to a country’s agricultural GDP. Indeed, the three entities that contributed the most to the GDP of the national primary sector in 2021 were: Jalisco with 13.2%; Michoacán, 9.5% and Sinaloa, 7.8%; they are followed by the states of Veracruz with 7%; chihuahua, 6.5%; Sonora, 6.1% and Guanajuato, 5.4%

The above shows that the country’s agricultural sector reproduces the inequalities that characterize Mexico, since, for example, the state of Chiapas, which is the second largest state with agricultural economic units, contributes just over 1% of agricultural GDP. a country.

It should also be noted that out of all the economic units that were assessed in the agricultural census, 3.6 million people were asked about the main problems they face; and of these, 2.99 million cases (83.40% of the total number of those consulted on this matter) stated that they had at least one of the problems consulted.

Thus, 82% of production units identify the high cost of inputs and services as a major problem; 64.5% consider them climate factors; 37.2% – falling prices or lower sales due to the COVID19 pandemic; 37% associate them with biological factors; 27.6% to loss of soil fertility; 21% to uncertainty; 20% for transport difficulties; 16.2% to labor shortage; 15.6% of elderly producers; 11.7% to excessive intermediaries.

As can be seen, the issues mentioned by the producers intersect with “major national agendas”; that is: climate change, poverty, inequality, insecurity, lack of economic growth and lack of mechanisms for equitable distribution of tasks and social benefits.

Moreover, it should not be neglected that the population living in rural areas is approximately 27 million people; and that they, along with the agricultural workers, along with the indigenous peoples and communities, are the ones who guard the main water supplies, forests and jungles of the country, that is, nothing less than the natural capital from Mexico.

One characteristic of agricultural producers that needs to be emphasized is their low average level of education. Indeed, according to the agricultural census, 14.5% of this population has no occupation; 72.4% have basic education; 7.8% will have a higher secondary education or a technical career, and only 4.6% will have an undergraduate or graduate degree.

There are other problems that are not explicitly identified by the producers, for example, difficulties in the technical arrangement of the field, especially in relation to the sustainable management of water resources; and others related to organic waste management, which produce significant amounts of greenhouse gases, mainly methane.

There are other issues, such as transgenic foods, and others more related to land use and existing predation, especially as a constant threat to forest and jungle surfaces throughout the country, in addition to the fact that there is no specific management and management policy. for desert exosystems or territories under conditions of accelerated desertification processes in the center and north of the country.

The agricultural census reminds us that we live in a country with a vast territory; and that its population may itself be a country. For this reason, neither socially nor economically and environmentally, we can continue to ignore the responsibility for developing policies and programs that are essential for the sustainable development of this sector of the country.

* PUED-UNAM Researcher