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Project properties |
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| Title | Berries, land and livelihoods in the ejido Jerusalem, Michoacán, Mexico. |
| Group | Water Resources Management group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Jaime Hoogesteger |
| Examiner(s) | |
| Contact info | jaime.hoogesteger@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2020/01/01 |
| End date | 2022/01/01 |
| Description | Country: Mexico
Host institute: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico/ Universidad de la Cienega del Estado de Michoacán, Mexico Period: open Agro-export crops have become popular amongst producers in many parts of the world, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Berries are a group of crops that have become in high demand year round in Europe and North America offering high prices and stable markets to its producers. In the state of Michoacán in central Mexico, the production of berries has boomed since at least the 2000s. Capitalized producers and large farmers have engaged in the production of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries on a large scale around the city of Zamora. The expansion of this production has gone hand in hand with changes in access and control over land and water in the region. One of these areas is the ejido (mexican common lands) of Jerusalem near Zamora. In this ejido investors and capitalized ejidatarios have bought and rented land and sunk deep tubewells to engage in the production of berries. This has brought important changes in local livelihoods. Research Objective/Question This research aims to understand how the production of berries and the related changes in access to land and water go hand in hand with the transformation of the livelihood strategies of local ejidatarios (land owners) and their families. It aims to answer the following question: In which ways have changes to livelihood strategies and new emerging berry production led to changes in access to land and water since the late 1990s in the Ejido Jerusalem, Michoacán? What is expected from the student (type of research) The student is expected to do fieldwork in the ejido to track and trace changes in the livelihoods strategies of ejidatarios and their families. Through ethnographic research and interviews in the ejido the student(s) will identify and describe the processes of change taking place in livelihoods strategies of rural families and will identify how these relate to the opportunities that have accompanied the recent berry boom. |
| Used skills | Ethnographic research methods |
| Requirements | MIL or MID |