THE GREEN REVOLUTION AND ITS SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES IN MEXICAN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

The green revolution that started in Mexico in the 1940s provoked a technological dependence on agricultural materials provided mainly by the United States and still lingers today with the commercial opening and globalization of markets. In this documentary review, we analyze some socioeconomic consequences that these models of development have had on national agriculture and farmers. The work contributes by reinforcing criticisms of developmental policies undertaken by Government since they have benefited a small elite class of producers while the majority of producers have been marginalized from support programs aimed at boosting agricultural modernization. We also support the arguments of those who discuss the debt owed to farmers and in favor of developing public policies that contribute to a more equitable distribution of resources in order to achieve a truly sustainable development.

Keywords

• peasant farming
• commercial agriculture
• dependence
• modernization
• market
• polarization