Abstract

CRUZ DELGADO, Daniela; LEOS RODRIGUEZ, Juan Antonio  and  ALTAMIRANO CARDENAS, J. Reyes. The evolution in the pattern of Mexican crops in the face of economic integration, 1980 to 2009. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2012, vol.3, n.5, pp.893-906. ISSN 2007-0934.

In the face of Mexico's economic liberalization, enhanced with the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), several changes were predicted in the agricultural commercial activity which would reflect on the crop pattern. The least competitive (basic and oily grains) were expected to be replaced by the most competitive (fruits and vegetables). The aim of the investigation was to analyze the changes in the crop patterns and the factors that explain the variations in the production in Mexico, in the context of liberalization. The methodology proposed by FAO (1994) was used, which consisted in calculating the average annual growth rates (TMCA) of the production and of the factors that explain it (surface effect, yield, soil use structure, and the interaction of the three). The production of basic grains, particularly maize, did not plummet as predicted, although the production of oily seeds did fall, due to the surface effect, and the production of fodder, fruits and vegetables increased, due to the same effect. The three explanatory factors - surface, yield and structure - have an important influence on the growth of the country's agricultural production, unlike some individual crops and groups of crops, in which one of these effects are predominant.

Keywords : commercial liberalization; explanatory effects; agricultural production.