POVERTY AND ADVERSITIES IN THE COFFEE GROWERS OF THE SIERRA OTOMÍ-TEPEHUA IN MEXICO

Abstract

Coffee growing is an activity of the most forgotten productive sectors of the Mexican economy where public policies have not managed to transform the existing adverse situation for families. The study was conducted in the Indigenous Region, Otomí-Tepehua in the state of Hidalgo, where producers are engaged in the production of coffee. The indigenous territory is part of the eastern Sierra Madre, with ecosystems that are rich in biodiversity, characterized by the extreme poverty in which they live, and even though for years have tried to transform, little has been achieved. After the closure of INMECAFE, producers have tried to find alternatives, trying to appropriate a better added value, associating and generating their own brands with coffee that is ready for consumption or having moved towards organic production. The results are based on 83 interviews conducted with coffee producers. Despite the different efforts, the adverse conditions and the vicious circle of their living conditions are shown, where the product generated has an important demand, but the producers cannot sell it directly to the market due to the low volume obtained, commercializing it through intermediaries as raw material, without added value. The cases of successful producers are minimal, however it can be considered a good example to follow.

Keywords

• coffee production
• indigenous producers
• neoliberalism
• farmers