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Enhancing the contribution of land reform to Mexican agricultural development

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  • Heath, John Richard

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the institutional factors associated with the Mexican land reform ( ejido ) sector constrain agricultural growth. Parting from the assumption that the ejido may be considered a more or less fixed element of Mexico's cultural and political scene, the paper focuses on the piecemeal changes that could help to enhance growth and productivity within the existing structure. The author finds no conclusive evidence that individual ejidos are significantly less productive than private farms, and hence, it seems unlikely that privatization of ejidos would greatly improve agricultural growth. He recommends the following improvements to the existing structure : giving the ejidatarios titles to their parcels of land, simplifying restrictions for private farmers on holding size and land use, ending restrictions on renting or sharecropping by ejidatarios, allowing ejidatarios to sell their land parcels to other members of their ejido, improving management of communal land, and extending credit directly to individual ejidatarios on the basis of their creditworthiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Heath, John Richard, 1990. "Enhancing the contribution of land reform to Mexican agricultural development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 285, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:285
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Folke Dovring, 1970. "Land Reform and Productivity in Mexico," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 46(3), pages 264-274.
    2. Redclift, Michael, 1983. "Production Programs for Small Farmers: Plan Puebla as Myth and Reality," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(3), pages 551-570, April.
    3. Finkler, Kaja, 1978. "From Sharecroppers to Entrepreneurs: Peasant Household Production Strategies under the Ejido System of Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(1), pages 103-120, October.
    4. Cornia, Giovanni Andrea, 1985. "Farm size, land yields and the agricultural production function: An analysis for fifteen developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 513-534, April.
    5. Weckstein, R S, 1970. "Evaluating Mexican Land Reform," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(3), pages 391-409, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Valsecchi, Michele, 2014. "Land property rights and international migration: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 276-290.
    2. Alain de Janvry & Kyle Emerick & Marco Gonzalez-Navarro & Elisabeth Sadoulet, 2015. "Delinking Land Rights from Land Use: Certification and Migration in Mexico," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(10), pages 3125-3149, October.
    3. Malaga, Jaime E. & Williams, Gary W., 2006. "Mexican Agricultural and Food Export Competitiveness," Reports 90778, Texas A&M University, Agribusiness, Food, and Consumer Economics Research Center.
    4. John Baffes, 1998. "Structural reforms and price liberalization in Mexican agriculture," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(5), pages 575-587.
    5. Lopez, Ramon & Nash, John & Stanton, Julie, 1995. "Adjustment and poverty in Mexican agriculture : how farmers'wealth affects supply response," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1494, The World Bank.
    6. Johnson, Nancy L., 1998. "The Demand For Private Property Rights: Land Titling, Credit, And Agricultural Productivity In Mexico," 1998 Annual meeting, August 2-5, Salt Lake City, UT 20998, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    7. Davis, Benjamin, 2000. "The adjustment strategies of Mexican ejidatarios in the face of neoliberal reform," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), December.
    8. Ana de Ita, 2022. "PROCEDE: a failed programme to reduce poverty and inequalities in Mexico," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-78, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. de Janvry, Alain & Emerick, Kyle & Gonzalez-Navarro, Marco & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 2012. "Certified to Migrate: Property Rights and Migration in Rural Mexico," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt1jk3m3c1, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    10. Valsecchi, Michele, 2010. "Land Certification and International Migration: Evidence from Mexico," Working Papers in Economics 440, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    11. Baffes, John & Meerman, Jacob, 1998. "From Prices to Incomes: Agricultural Subsidization without Protection?," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 13(2), pages 191-211, August.
    12. Plant R., 1993. "Role of rural workers' organisations in economic and social development : a case study of the ILO's convention no. 141 in Mexico and the Philippines," ILO Working Papers 992974533402676, International Labour Organization.
    13. repec:ilo:ilowps:297453 is not listed on IDEAS

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