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The impact of the tomato agroindustry on the rural poor in Mexico
Author(s) -
Barron María Antonieta,
Rello Fernando
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.29
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1574-0862
pISSN - 0169-5150
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-0862.2000.tb00280.x
Subject(s) - poverty , poverty reduction , capital (architecture) , economics , development economics , economic growth , poor people , capital city , geography , agricultural economics , business , economic geography , archaeology
Abstract This article addresses the issue of whether the tomato agroindustry (TAI) has been an effective instrument in the reduction of rural poverty. The TAI is by far the most important agroindustry in Mexico in terms of exports and employment creation. Most of the laborers employed by the TAI in northwest Mexico are temporary migrants coming from poverty‐stricken regions in southern Mexico. Conditions of poverty‐induced migration are explained. The characteristics and strategies of large, modern tomato enterprises are analyzed. The main conclusion is that migrant income earned in the tomato fields and packing plants, is fundamental for the bare survival in villages in poverty‐stricken regions. However, this does not provide a solution to poverty alleviation because migrant income is not sufficient to contribute to capital formation in the migrating communities, or the to create the conditions for endogenous local development.