SADER, CONAFOR to Strengthen Wildfire Prevention

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) have called on 64 municipalities to implement stronger training and preventive measures to address wildfires caused by uncontrolled agricultural burns.  

During a meeting with representatives from the municipalities most affected by agriculture-related forest fires, Julio Berdegué, Minister of Agriculture, emphasized the need to coordinate efforts to enforce fire use notifications and interinstitutional actions to reduce wildfire incidents nationwide.  

Under the NOM-015-SEMARNAT/AGRICULTURA-2023, producers must submit fire use notifications 15 days in advance to local authorities. The 64 prioritized municipalities located in Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Durango, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico State, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz account for 46% of wildfire incidents and 53% of affected areas caused by agricultural activities, according to official data. 

“These 64 municipalities are essential in the fight against wildfires. We must work with farmers to ensure that when controlled burns are necessary, they are carried out under safe conditions,” said Berdagué. This minister noted that between 2015 and 2023, over 100 fires linked to agricultural practices impacted more than 6,000ha of forest in these regions.  

Sergio Graf, Director, CONAFOR, underscored prevention as the most effective tool to combat wildfires. Both agencies pledged to make their field personnel available to municipal authorities for training and capacity-building programs.  To facilitate compliance, they developed the Fires and Agricultural Burnings digital platform, which producers can use to notify municipal authorities of planned burns. 

In addition to regulatory measures, SADER promotes alternatives to burning through the My Plot Does Not Burn initiative, encouraging sustainable agricultural practices. The ministry is also building a national directory of municipal fire management personnel to support ongoing training efforts.  

The strategy includes collaboration with municipal officials, ejido leaders, and civil protection authorities at state and local levels. Field personnel from Rural Development Support Centers (CADERs), Rural Development Districts, and Agricultural Field Schools will participate in the training programs.