Geography

Cash crops, smallholder decision-making and institutional interactions in a closing-frontier: Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In Mexico, since the revolution of 1910, agricultural development for subsistence and market has been a priority of diverse stakeholder groups, particularly farmers. Within the last ten years, Mexican federal agricultural policy shifted from a paternalistic to an enterprise model. This shift resulted in benefits for a few farmers while placing most producers at risk of economic failure. In addition to the impacts on the household economy, these policies influence land use and land cover. This paper explores the dynamics of chili production and how these dynamics are influenced by household and policy factors in the municipality of Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico. Jalapeño chili is the foremost market crop in Calakmul, until recently a development frontier for Mexico, and now the site of the largest biosphere reserve in that country and a landscape where priorities for forest conservation meet those for agricultural development. An integration of qualitative and quantitative methods enables a more complete understanding of this important and expanding land use in the region.

Publication Title

Journal of Latin American Geography

Publication Date

1-1-2006

Volume

5

Issue

2

First Page

75

Last Page

90

ISSN

1545-2476

DOI

10.1353/lag.2006.0023

Keywords

agricultural decision-making, land use, market crops, Mexico

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