Mexico Advances Toward Sustainable Agriculture

Mexico is strengthening its transition toward sustainable agriculture through public policies, international cooperation, and targeted support for small-scale producers to reduce deforestation, improve rural livelihoods, and enhance climate resilience.

Araceli Vargas Mena, Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Project at the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GIZ), emphasized that Mexico has a strong policy framework to promote ecological practices and significant synergy between environmental and agricultural agendas, aiming to ensure that food production is not a driver of deforestation.

“Mexico stands out as a pioneering country in Latin America in the development of public policies aimed at transitioning toward more sustainable agri-food systems,” she said during her participation in Milenio Foros Agroindustria Inclusiva.

Mena explained that GIZ’s role as a strategic ally of the Mexican government focuses on direct collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and state governments to develop policies that help producers adopt sustainable practices.

“Our work focuses on supporting the creation of public policies that help producers implement more sustainable practices so that, as a country, we can move toward more sustainable agri-food systems,” she said.

The Vida y Campo (Life and Field) project, implemented since May 2022 in collaboration with GIZ, seeks to apply a comprehensive approach to support small-scale producers and rural organizations involved in key production systems such as native corn, mezcal agave, coffee, cocoa, honey, and goat and sheep livestock in the states of Puebla and Oaxaca.

Key results from this alliance include: the dissemination of technical innovations and strengthening of strategic capacities to improve the climate and economic resilience of rural communities; raising awareness of the value of ecosystem services provided by agriculture and livestock, as well as the importance of soil, water, and biodiversity; training for more than 4,200 producers; support for the development and integration of public policies for more sustainable agri-food systems; and promotion of digital transformation through platforms, system analysis, and tools that improve access to and use of information. The project is expected to conclude this month.

Mena highlighted that one of the main priorities for advancing sustainable agriculture is improving existing financial instruments in the country. She stressed that both national and local governments must develop public policies, incentives, and financing mechanisms to ensure rural development with better living conditions. To achieve this, GIZ works with the Agricultural Trust Funds (FIRA) to ensure that credits, subsidies, and bonds are not only accessible but also incorporate sustainable agriculture criteria, promote the inclusion of women and youth, and support marginalized or low-resource areas.

Regarding women’s active participation in agriculture, Penélope García, Marketing Director for Northern Latin America, Bayer’s Crop Science Division, stated that this is not only a matter of equity but also of efficiency and sustainability. When women have access to information and technology, she said, they not only improve their crops but also strengthen the resilience of their communities. Inclusion, therefore, is fundamental for the entire system to function effectively.

Mena also identified three main fronts to achieve crop recovery and food security: to implement practices that prevent or minimize soil erosion; to promote efficient irrigation techniques to address water scarcity, particularly during droughts; and to reduce and eliminate the use of highly toxic agrochemicals, replacing them with less harmful bio-inputs, in line with the federal government’s efforts. “All of this is connected to biodiversity conservation and climate change. We need to develop good practices that enable agriculture to adapt to this new reality,” she concluded.