SUPERMARKETS AND MICHOACÁN GUAVA FARMERS IN MEXICO

This article discusses the inclusion of small farmers in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply systems of supermarkets in Mexico, using the case of small-scale guava farmers in the state of Michoacán. Three questions are addressed: What are the determinants of access to the supermarket market as compared to the traditional market?; (2) What are the technological, organizational, and managerial changes at the farm and farmers' organization levels and what are their financial implications?, and; (3) What are the costs and benefits to farmers from these changes? The analysis of based on data from a survey of wholesalers and retailers in Mexico City, an extensive rapid rural appraisal, and a comprehensive survey of a representative sample of guava farmers in Michoacán. The article concludes that: (1) the most important determinant of access of these farmers to more modern markets is their territorial (spatial) context and the way in which those territories interact with different markets, followed by fixed capital assets, while access to land, education and participation in organizations are not significant determinants; (2) farmers working in the more modern markets compared to those in the traditional markets, are labor-constrained and overuse chemical inputs to a lesser extent, and; (3) farmers that have accessed the more modern market channels, have substantially higher net income per hectare. Policies and projects aimed at promoting the inclusion in more modern markets of small-scale farmers such as those producing guava in Michoacán, must act on the territorial dimension of the problem of inclusion/exclusion, and not restrict themselves to actions aimed at improving the supply chains or the capacities of the households or their farms and organizations.