This book belongs to a series of bench-mark studies of agricultural development which the Ford Foundation has sponsored in selected Latin American countries. The expressed objective of the authors is to describe in detail the structure and performance of the Mexican agricultural sector, focusing upon the period of 1950-1967. Thus the book takes a rather wide-ranging view which not only includes some of the technical aspects of production, technology, etc., but also touches upon some of the major institutional factors which have directly or indirectly affected the development of the agricultural sector.
Background information is provided in the first chapter, which deals briefly with the geography, resources, and population of the country. A look at the development of the total economy in chapter 2 makes it possible to fit the agricultural sector into its proper niche; and the succeeding two chapters survey the characteristics of this sector and give some historical background on its development. Agricultural production and productivity are treated in some detail in chapter 5, followed by an analysis of the factors influencing the sector’s growth. Special attention is devoted in chapter 7 to government policies as they have affected agricultural development, and chapter 8 provides the reader with a view of the institutional framework for agricultural education, research, and extension. Some supply and demand projections are made in chapter 9, followed by an identification of some major factors which are currently seen as limiting agricultural development. The final chapter summarizes the findings and offers some conclusions.
During the period under analysis production in the agricultural sector has grown at an average annual rate of 4 percent, an exceptionally high rate of growth over such a sustained period. This growth rate has been achieved despite the fact that Mexican agricultural resources are not particularly favorable in quantity or quality. The authors attribute the remarkable growth principally to a large expansion in cultivated area (which increased 75 per cent between 1949-1951 and 1964-1966) and conclude that investment in irrigation was the most important single factor contributing to the expanded acreage. Per acre yields also rose, primarily as a result of controlled water availability, fertilizer, and improved seed. In addition, a consistent and favorable government price policy strongly encouraged increased agricultural output, while at the same time the government was able to provide political stability and minimize social unrest.
The book relies primarily on secondary data and is written with a broad and nontechnical audience in mind. The result leaves one a bit uncomfortable with some conclusions and policy recommendations which appear to rest upon rather limited statistical support. The insights of the authors, however, are based upon substantial experience derived from an intimate association with Mexican agricultural development, both as researchers and as advisors. Anyone with an interest in Latin American economic development should benefit from the broad perspective presented in this volume.
