Abstract

QUINTERO PERALTA, María Angélica; GALLARDO-COBOS, Rosa María  and  SANCHEZ-ZAMORA, Pedro. The need for extra-agrarian peasant strategies as a means of survival in marginal rural communities of Mexico. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Agrar., Univ. Nac. Cuyo [online]. 2020, vol.52, n.1, pp.246-260. ISSN 1853-8665.

The Mexican agrarian sector is currently facing a series of structural problems that have a direct impact on the potential of agricultural activities that provide rural families with food and economic livelihoods, particularly to those living in marginal rural communities. A total of 132 interviews were conducted with farmers from marginal communities in central Mexico. From the total, 64.2% had decreased their agricultural activity in order to engage in other activities and increase their income. Ninety-four percent (94.7%) of families spend between 50 and 100% of their income on food. The binomial logit model determined that there was a 95.4% probability of a family member securing employment outside the peasant production unit. Despite this, family income does not cover basic requirements satisfactorily. In the current context, peasants are subjected to food poverty and income instability. As a result, they look for livelihood options outside the agricultural activities that only allow them to subsist. It is highly probable that peasant families will continue to implement a variety of survival strategies with increasing frequency, to the detriment of Mexican family units and rural communities.

Keywords : Peasant strategies; Peasant production unit; Agricultural communities; Non-farm income; Mexico.

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