Agrifood Sector Studies Mexico: Modern market channels and strawberry farmers in Michoacán, Mexico - Micro study report

by Julio A. Berdegué, Thomas Reardon, Ricardo Hernández, Jorge Ortega

This study examined the participation of small-scale farmers in strawberry production in modern market channels versus traditional market channels in Mexico. Farm size was found to be a determinant of participation in the modern channel. However,  this study does concentrate on the upper stratum of the small-farm category, rather than large-scale farmers (as there are no large-scale farmers in the sample). Moreover, non-land capital assets were found to be an important ‘threshold investment' for farmers to enter the modern channels. Farmers in the modern channel have higher net incomes from strawberry production and use more capital-intensive technologies.