Mexico to Strengthen Agricultural Systems with South Africa

Mexico committed to work with South Africa in the development of resilient food systems. Meanwhile, Arca Tierra works to restore chinampas in Mexico City to create a sustainable food production system in the capital’s southeast region. 

Ready? This is the week in agribusiness news:

Mexico, South Africa to Improve Agri-food Systems

The Mexican Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), Víctor Villalobos, and the South African (SA) Ambassador to Mexico, Dennis Thokozani, met to promote the development of resilient food systems between both countries. Both nations continue to face a challenging international environment with fluctuating prices of grains and inputs, worsened by climate change effects. Desertification and technology for the nixtamalization of white corn have been some of the most important foci of Mexico and South Africa in the past.

Arca Tierra to Restore Chinampas

The Xochimilco-based sustainable restoration Project, led by Lucio Usobiaga, aims to restore chinampas in the area with a regenerative approach through fair trade and sustainable food production. 

“Chinampas are very special. In addition to giving cultural identity to Mexico City, they provide us with water, oxygen and food. They are also a refuge for endemic species,” Usobiaga told El Sol de México.

Mexican Avocados Receive International Recognition

José Armando Lopez Orduña, CEO, Association of Producers and Packers Exporters of Avocado of Mexico Civil Association (APEAM, A.C.), explained that local exporting producers and packers have sustained a well-developed surveillance work alongside Mexican authorities to fortify the product’s supply chain. 

“The fact that an agricultural product has export quality goes far beyond the fact that it arrives in optimal condition at the table of a consumer outside its original country. It means that, in the international market, there is confidence in the production chain of that nation. This is the case of the Mexican Hass avocado, which has become one of the favorite fruits in many parts of the world due to its flavor, versatility in cooking and nutritional properties,” said Orduña.

INEGI to Implement Agricultural Census 2022

About 25,000 interviewers from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) will survey 4.3 million production workers in Mexico, with interviews being held on mobile computing devices, digital mapping and satellite imagery. INEGI will use three questionnaires to define the activities of the different production units.