Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races
Mexico depends on maize imports to satisfy its national demand. The use of native maize varieties among subsistence farmers can help to reduce the cereal’s imports. However, the agricultural policy in Mexico to improve the productivity per hectare has centered on the use of improved varieties; among...
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/8/737 |
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| author | Alberto Santillán-Fernández Yolanda Salinas-Moreno José René Valdez-Lazalde Mauricio Antonio Carmona-Arellano Javier Enrique Vera-López Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo |
| author_facet | Alberto Santillán-Fernández Yolanda Salinas-Moreno José René Valdez-Lazalde Mauricio Antonio Carmona-Arellano Javier Enrique Vera-López Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo |
| author_sort | Alberto Santillán-Fernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mexico depends on maize imports to satisfy its national demand. The use of native maize varieties among subsistence farmers can help to reduce the cereal’s imports. However, the agricultural policy in Mexico to improve the productivity per hectare has centered on the use of improved varieties; among them, the transgenic variety. In this study, the maize productivity in Mexico from 1983 to 2018 was analyzed to determine the influence of agricultural policies in the sector, and the factors that condition the adoption of transgenic maize. It was found that the agricultural policy improved the productivity of those regions with irrigation; however, for rainfed regions, the expected technological changes were not achieved because the ancestral tradition in cultivation, associated with the greater variety of native maize and to a larger indigenous population, was stronger. The adoption of transgenic maize also had low significance in the rainfed regions, since the increase in field yields is not economically profitable with regards to the increase in production costs. Therefore, the agricultural policy to increase productivity ought to be directed at the protection of subsistence farmers, revaluing the use of native varieties that have shown higher resilience to technological and environmental changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:06:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4aee0f9b8f14489db31fd946ccdb18e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:06:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-4aee0f9b8f14489db31fd946ccdb18e52023-11-22T06:22:57ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-08-0111873710.3390/agriculture11080737Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local RacesAlberto Santillán-Fernández0Yolanda Salinas-Moreno1José René Valdez-Lazalde2Mauricio Antonio Carmona-Arellano3Javier Enrique Vera-López4Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo5Catedrático-Conacyt, Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Campeche, Champotón, Campeche 24450, MexicoDepartment of Genetic, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campus Altos de Jalisco, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco 47600, MexicoDepartment of Forestry, Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México 56230, MexicoDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Campeche, Champotón, Campeche 24450, MexicoDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Campeche, Champotón, Campeche 24450, MexicoDepartment of Plant Production and Engineering Projects, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. Galicia, 27002 Lugo, SpainMexico depends on maize imports to satisfy its national demand. The use of native maize varieties among subsistence farmers can help to reduce the cereal’s imports. However, the agricultural policy in Mexico to improve the productivity per hectare has centered on the use of improved varieties; among them, the transgenic variety. In this study, the maize productivity in Mexico from 1983 to 2018 was analyzed to determine the influence of agricultural policies in the sector, and the factors that condition the adoption of transgenic maize. It was found that the agricultural policy improved the productivity of those regions with irrigation; however, for rainfed regions, the expected technological changes were not achieved because the ancestral tradition in cultivation, associated with the greater variety of native maize and to a larger indigenous population, was stronger. The adoption of transgenic maize also had low significance in the rainfed regions, since the increase in field yields is not economically profitable with regards to the increase in production costs. Therefore, the agricultural policy to increase productivity ought to be directed at the protection of subsistence farmers, revaluing the use of native varieties that have shown higher resilience to technological and environmental changes.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/8/737<i>Zea mays</i> L.transgenic maizerainfed agricultureirrigation agricultureProcampoMasAgro |
| spellingShingle | Alberto Santillán-Fernández Yolanda Salinas-Moreno José René Valdez-Lazalde Mauricio Antonio Carmona-Arellano Javier Enrique Vera-López Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races Agriculture <i>Zea mays</i> L. transgenic maize rainfed agriculture irrigation agriculture Procampo MasAgro |
| title | Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races |
| title_full | Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races |
| title_fullStr | Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races |
| title_short | Relationship between Maize Seed Productivity in Mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the Adoption of Genetically Modified Maize and the Resilience of Local Races |
| title_sort | relationship between maize seed productivity in mexico between 1983 and 2018 with the adoption of genetically modified maize and the resilience of local races |
| topic | <i>Zea mays</i> L. transgenic maize rainfed agriculture irrigation agriculture Procampo MasAgro |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/8/737 |
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