One Decade of Drought and Two of Neoliberal Reforms in the Sierra Sonorense: Responses by the Rural Poor

Since the mid-1990s, Northwest Mexico has been experiencing drought conditions. As Mexico's number one irrigator, the state of Sonora's agricultural sector is particularly concerned about the availability and distribution of surface and ground water. Drought has contributed to a sharp decl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Southern rural sociology 2009, Vol.24 (1), p.44-66
Main Author: Vásquez-León, Marcela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abandoned land
Agriculture
Drought
Farmers
Field study
free trade
international boundaries
Irrigation
irrigation management
Low income groups
Mexico
Natural Disasters
neoliberal reform policies
Neoliberalism
North American Free Trade Agreement
Rural areas
small farms
social barriers
social networks
trade policy
United States of America
Water conservation
Water resources
Water shortages
Water Supply
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Summary:Since the mid-1990s, Northwest Mexico has been experiencing drought conditions. As Mexico's number one irrigator, the state of Sonora's agricultural sector is particularly concerned about the availability and distribution of surface and ground water. Drought has contributed to a sharp decline in cultivated area, the abandonment of land, and permanent out migration of a large sector of the rural population. This paper examines the vulnerability to drought of small farmers in the Santa Cruz and Magadalena basins, south of the Sonora-Arizona international border. Farmer's ability to respond to drought is considered within the larger context of neoliberal reform policies, social inequality, and free trade between Mexico and the U.S. By focusing on the most vulnerable, the paper argues that informal social networks and collective organization are key strategies to improve adaptive capacity, particularly for those who do not have access to state sponsored adaptations.
ISSN:0885-3436
1940-4662