Rachel Laudan

Are you planting? That’s a polite question to ask a Mexican campesino in late spring. The answer increasingly, at least in this region, is no. No, said Chuy, the horse died. No, said Emilia, three years out of seven there’s not enough rain and so it’s just not worth it.

No, said, Don Bruno, it’s a huge sacrifice and you make no money. And he went on to lay out the economics. He has 6 hectares, that is about 17 acres. Prices in US dollars

Outgoings

Seeds. His own

Tractors to prepare the ground @ 80 per hectare 480

1 ton of fertilizer for each hectare @ 27 per ton 180

Weed killer 47@ a liter for each hectare 280

To cut one hectare, 4 peones @15 a day for 6 days 210

To stack one hectare, ditto 210

To take the grains off 70

To take to market 70

Total 1290

Incomings

270 a ton 1620

In sum

In short, the campesino works much of the year to make 400 dollars. Clearly not worth it when even a poor paying job in Mexico yields 100 dollars a week.

And who are they competing with? Not with imported American yellow corn. They are growing Mexican white corn and are competing with big mechanized Mexican growers. It looks to me as if the killer is the inefficient use of un-mechanized labor.

Meanwhile Don Bruno continues to plant a small milpa (plot with maize, squash, and beans) for his own use. It’s perhaps 15 yards by 15 yards.