NAFTA and the tortilla crisis
Activity: Document the origins and development of the current tortilla crisis in Mexico
Aims:
- Document the importance of maize for Mexican sustainability
- Analyze the impact of international trade policies on poverty in Mexico
- Discuss the implications of the tortilla crisis
Background:
2007 started with a sharp increase in the price of tortillas, the most important Mexican staple. Until recently, Mexican agriculture had been largely oriented to maize, but is now, for different reasons, focused on other cash crops. The crisis reveals the processes the country has been undergoing, part of which are related to the unfolding of national and international trade policies. It is expected to have important implications in terms of poverty and migration.
Tasks:
- Search in journals, newspapers and/or the internet information concerning the “tortilla crisis” that has hit Mexico in the past months. Describe:
- The crisis
- Who benefits and who is affected
- The measures taken by relevant actors and their impact
2.- Origins: Look up bibliographical information (at least three sources) concerning maize production in Mexico
- Who was producing it and what were the benefits?
- Why did they stop producing it?
- Who is expected to produce it and how?
- How can the environment be affected?
- How can development be affected?
3.- Discuss the impact of international trade policies to the production of maize in Mexico. Include the influence of:
- Genetic engineering
- NAFTA
- Transnational companies
Hand in A 4 page document (spacing 1.5, Font Arial or Times New Roman, 12 points) that includes an
- Introduction, giving us general information about the task carried out and a very brief (not more than three sentences) summary of your main findings.
- A section for each point mentioned above, namely:
- 1.- the crisis
- 2.- its origins
- 3.- the importance of international trade policies in bringing it about
- A concluding section where you discuss the issue and its possible outcomes for the country.
- Each section should be headed by a subtitle to give the reader an idea of what is included in it
- Make sure you reference your sources properly.
- Name of the author, year and page number in parenthesis in the text. For example (Smith 1992: 52).
- Then include this reference in full in the bibliography. For example: Smith, Ruben (1992) The Social Implication of Commodity Production. London. Routledge