Longitudinal analysis of household types and livelihood trajectories in Oaxaca, Mexico

• Autores: Novotny, Ivan P.; Fuentes-Ponce, Mariela H.; Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago; Tittonell, Pablo Adrian; Rossing, Walter A.H.
• Año de publicación: 2021
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Journal of Rural Studies 81 : 170-181 (Enero 2021)
• Materia: Agricultura Familiar; Tenencia de la Tierra; Tipología de Granjas; Family Farming; Land Tenure; Farm Typology; Oaxaca, Mexico; Mesoamérica; Tipología de Hogares
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

In Mexico, a political shift to fit into neoliberal directives since the 80s has brought several consequences to rural households and their trajectories. This study focused on the relation between drivers of change and household trajectory. The study was carried out in Santa Catarina Tayata, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. 44 household heads were interviewed to recall their production system and economic activities at significant moments. The results were summarized as variables describing the socio-economic and agronomic situation of households over three decades: 1988-1997, 1998-2007, and 2008-2017. Household types were identified for each decade. Three household types were distinguishable in the first two decades, and five in the last decade. Drivers of change such as international markets, land tenure, government support, and migration were connected to household trajectories. Results showed that household type diversity increased, while half of the households changed types at one point according to different strategies. Changes in land tenure in the study area in the early 2000s were attributable to the PROCEDE national program, which acted to lift restrictions on land tenure, facilitating the buying and selling of land. The implementation of PROCEDE resulted in fewer households relying on borrowed or rented land while allowing others to expand their land and form a new household type. A migration process enabled some households to invest in land or animal production as a "step up" strategy. The majority of households that received agriculture-related subsidies tended to engage solely in agricultural activities. Half of the households that did not benefit from subsidies engaged in off-farm to diversify their income, suggesting that the type of governmental support can have an impact on farming activities. Household types that had more animal production or larger areas did not tend to engage in off-farm activities because of high demands for labor in their production systems. This type of study can be used to monitor policy impact and households’ strategic responses, to arrive at better articulation of policy objectives and policy impact while considering household type diversity.
Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche
Fil: Novotny, Ivan P. Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana; Mexico
Fil: Novotny, Ivan P. Wageningen University and Research. Farming Systems Ecology, Plant Sciences Group; Holanda
Fil: Fuentes-Ponce, Mariela H. Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco. Departamento de Producci´on Agrícola y Animal; Mexico
Fil: Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); Mexico
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Universite de Montpellier. Centre de cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement. Agroecologie et Intensification Durable; Francia
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Groningen University. Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences; Holanda
Fil: Rossing, Walter A.H. Wageningen University and Research. Farming Systems Ecology, Plant Sciences Group; Holanda