PARTICIPATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE DIETS IN MEXICO AND FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

It is necessary to boost a series of measures and policies to help peoples search for a new balance in the growth of civilization while reducing starvation and malnourishment, using new production and technological strategies that may help humankind and societies, not only to recover their food self-sufficiency, but also, based on a new relationship between age-old knowledge and technology, to put a stop on environmental deterioration which allows humanity to revert climate change, as well as to preserve agro environments that have helped people preserve and reproduce as a species on the planet

Growing a local organic movement: The Mexican Network of Organic Markets

Over the past several years, in response to the rapid growth in global demand for organic goods, the amount of organic production in Mexico has increased dramatically. Indeed, while Mexican agriculture as a whole has suffered severe crises, the organic sector has boomed, and today more than 83 000 producers farm organically on over 300 000 hectares of land. Of these producers, 98 percent are small scale, farming an average of three hectares, and over 50 percent are indigenous people. Unfortunately, as is the case in many developing countries, the vast majority of organic production remains focused on export crops – particularly coffee, but also cocoa, coconut, and other fruit and vegetables – with 85 percent of organic goods being sent to foreign markets. From an environmental point of view, exportoriented production is extremely damaging because of the amounts of fossil fuels required for transportation. In addition, packaging for export consumes precious resources and creates mountains of waste. Moreover, an export-oriented focus constrains the degree to which domestic markets are developed, and it leaves Mexican producers highly vulnerable to international market fluctuations

Situation and challenges of the Mexicana organic sector

For Mexico, organic farming is a feasible option, given the goodness it offers the country, since it is linked to the geography of poverty, mainly with small-scale farmers with surfaces below 3 ha, 22 indigenous groups, and 35% of women responsible for farming. In addition, it is linked to a form of production that protects and preserves natural resources

Sostenibilidad de pequeños productores en los Tianguis Orgánico de Tlaxcala, Puebla y Oaxaca, Veracruz

Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing agricultural activities. In Mexico, both the number of producers and hectares devoted to it increased in recent years, giving small producers an opportunity to eliminate part of the exclusion generated by conventional agriculture and allow them to get into the market. However, it is important to know the situation of these producers from various perspectives, so in this work the measurement of their economic, ecological and socio-cultural sustainability was carried out in order to show that their inclusion in tianguis and organic markets allows them to be sustainable. For this, three markets of the Red Mexicana de Tianguis y Mercados Organicos were selected in the states of Tlaxcala, Puebla and Oaxaca, 30 surveys were applied and the data were grouped in scales from 0 to 4 indicating lower and higher sustainability respectively, (values above 2, imply sustainability). These indicators were weighted according to their importance. The results show that the small producers of these farmer’s markets are economically and ecologically sustainable since the values shown by the indicators were 2.62 and 2.5 respectively, however, in the socio-cultural criterion the result was 1.77 suggesting unsustainability. It is therefore necessary to establish strategies that improve the value of these indicators through the promotion and dissemination of organic products and the local market, creating conscience of ecological practices and processes and the participation of more actors involved in agricultural practices

ESTADO DE LA CUESTIÓN SOBRE LAS CRÍTICAS A LA AGRICULTURA ORGÁNICA

This article discusses the main criticisms of organic agriculture. The methodology is qualitative descriptive narrative review, with elements of simplification and dramatization to highlight key points. The purpose of the study was to analyze what has submitted the relevant literature on the discussion of the main criticisms of organic farming and what answers are given to these criticisms. For this purpose 46 articles were analyzed, in magazines and collections of digital databases. The qualitative approach allowed the identification of the main arguments and we decided to group them into two categories: (i) criticism of organic production and (ii) criticism of organic marketing. Finally, the article considers that organic agriculture can play an important role for the global food, however, we pointed the risk that in the future organic agriculture might lose its fundamental principles of serving mankind and the environment

CARACTERÍSTICAS Y COMPARATIVA DE LOS PRODUCTORES DE ALIMENTOS ECOLÓGICOS EN EL SURESTE DE EUROPA: EL CASO DE LA REGIÓN DE MURCIA, ESPAÑA

The Region of Murcia (Spain) has one of the main areas of organic fruit and vegetable production in Europe, with extensions for some products of between 10 and 20 % of the country’s organic agriculture surface. This work contains a survey carried out on 106 farmers, along with a typology of organic cultivations. First, an analysis was performed by conglomerates on the variables of each company, distinguishing small and large ones; later, using logistic regression models, an analysis was carried out on the characteristics that define the groups of farmers, the first one being the least professional but most environmentally aware farmers. The typology found of these farmers suggests the interest for more differentiated development policies for organic farming

Asimetría en la transmisión de precios del tomate en el occidente de México

Se utilizó el concepto de transmisión de precios para evaluar el proceso de integración vertical de un mercado agrícola y sus posibles implicaciones en la distribución de los márgenes de comercialización consumidor-productor. El objetivo del trabajo fue cuantificar y caracterizar la transmisión vertical de precios del tomate en el mercado de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Se utilizó un modelo económico de transmisión de precios estimado por mínimos cuadrados ordinarios, porque las series de precio resultaron estacionarias. Se encontró que la transmisión de precios es asimétrica, lo que implica que cuando aumenta el precio que paga el consumidor aumenta proporcionalmente más que cuando este disminuye, ello en respuesta a un aumento o disminución de igual magnitud del precio en la central de abastos. La prueba de causalidad evidenció que existe una relación bidireccional del consumidor a la central de abastos y una relación unidireccional consumidor-productor y central de abastos-productor

Participatory agroecological diagnosis in small and medium-sized producers in Michoacán and Morelos, Mexico

production units by identifying: (i) crop management practices, (ii) types of inputs and technologies used, and (iii) health status of soils and crops. Design/Methodology/Approach: This implemented research was of the type known as "In-depth case study", where the minimum sample size is 6 to 10 cases. Descriptive, correlational, and explanatory aspects corresponding to the selected production units were considered; based on qualitative and quantitative information. Results: For indicators of crop management and soil health, the predominant type of agriculture was transition to agroecology. Crop health indicators were the most agroecological. Study limitations/Implications: The results obtained allowed to establish the current state of the production units; with which further comparisons of the condition of those production units in the future can be made. Findings/Conclusions: The methodology used allowed to evaluate participatively, from an agroecological approach, the sustainability of soils and crops in production units of the municipalities Ario de Rosales, Michoacán and Tetela del Volcán, Morelos. Within the six productive units studied, it was found a productive unit with the appropriate characteristics to be considered as an "agroecological beacon"

Eco-intensificación de la producción de naranja (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) orgánica : Estudio de caso en Papantla, Veracruz, México

La naranja es el fruto más popular en México, ya que tiene 334,658 hectáreas sembradas, en donde se producen 4.4 millones de toneladas con un rendimiento de 13 t/ha. La producción de naranja enfrenta problemas de baja productividad con una producción sostenida bajo un paradigma tecnológico convencional, reducidos precios obtenidos por los productores por sistemas de comercialización basada en el intermediarismo y falta de asesoría con técnicos formados con orientación agroecológica. Sin embargo, existe una propuesta del Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias para el Desarrollo Rural Integral (CIIDRI) de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo fundamentada en la Eco-intensificación que logra aumentar los rendimientos. En el presente trabajo se presenta un proceso de innovación agrupando y describiendo a más de 20 prácticas agroecológicas en 6 apartados. Se concluye que la producción agroecologica en comparación con la producción convencional permite obtener un menor costo, mayor productividad, un sobreprecio y una producción sana para el suelo, agua planta y salud humana.Eje: B3 Economía y agroecología (Relatos de experiencias)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Eco-intensificación de la producción de naranja (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) orgánica : Estudio de caso en Papantla, Veracruz, México

La naranja es el fruto más popular en México, ya que tiene 334,658 hectáreas sembradas, en donde se producen 4.4 millones de toneladas con un rendimiento de 13 t/ha. La producción de naranja enfrenta problemas de baja productividad con una producción sostenida bajo un paradigma tecnológico convencional, reducidos precios obtenidos por los productores por sistemas de comercialización basada en el intermediarismo y falta de asesoría con técnicos formados con orientación agroecológica. Sin embargo, existe una propuesta del Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias para el Desarrollo Rural Integral (CIIDRI) de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo fundamentada en la Eco-intensificación que logra aumentar los rendimientos. En el presente trabajo se presenta un proceso de innovación agrupando y describiendo a más de 20 prácticas agroecológicas en 6 apartados. Se concluye que la producción agroecologica en comparación con la producción convencional permite obtener un menor costo, mayor productividad, un sobreprecio y una producción sana para el suelo, agua planta y salud humana.Eje: B3 Economía y agroecología (Relatos de experiencias)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale