Abstract

MUNOZ MAXIMO, Tania et al. Production process and commercialization mechanisms of chía (Salvia hispánica L.) by peasant families from the municipalities of Atzitzihuacán and Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico. Nova scientia [online]. 2017, vol.9, n.19, pp.788-818. ISSN 2007-0705.  https://doi.org/10.21640/ns.v9i19.1104.

Peasant production units, despite the few or no support received, are still important in food production. Their strategies are based on the management of their scarce resources, the use of their labor and their experience. The objective of this study was to analyze the production process and the mechanisms of commercialization of chia carried out by peasant families in the municipalities of Tochimilco and Atzitzihuacán, Puebla, Mexico. To generate the information, a survey was conducted on 101 chia producers in the PV-2013 cycle and 10 key informants from the Puebla and Atlixco markets were interviewed. The results show that they are small producers, with an average age of 53 years and average primary schooling. In order to carry out agriculture they use traditional techniques based on knowledge, experiences and peasant knowledge that have been inherited by generations. They produce basic crops, mainly of self consumption and some for sale. Its family unit is on average 3.3 ha, surface distributed in more than two farms. For the production process of chia used traditional systems and tools, only 8% have a tractor and 90% uses yunta in the different cultural tasks typical of a traditional agriculture. Marketing mechanisms are the traditional ones, carried out in local and regional markets. Even though prices have decreased considerably, producers continue to sow chia with higher profitability than other crops, such as maize and beans, which are produced with a high social significance. It is concluded that chia has become an important source of income and with possibilities of contributing to local development for small producers, despite the unstable price situation with downward trends.

Keywords : small producers of chia; traditional agricultural practices; peasant agriculture; commercialization.

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