Fragile Lands of Latin America Strategies for ... - PART - USAID

Arroyos in Northern Mexico 25 7
unstable nature of arroyo environments, it is highly unlikely that a
farm family could effectively manage more than three hectares.
Prospects for Agricultural Expansion
on Arroyo Lands
Generally controlled by the ejido, arroyo lands can be brought under
cultivation only by the approval of the agricultural community. In
essence, there are two types of ejidos functioning in Mexico today. One
involves the distribution of parcels of smallholdings to individuals to
do with as they please. (McGuire, 1986: 114-1 18), but with the provision
that the tract cannot go unused for three consecutive years (Codigo
Agrario, 1934; Chavez Padron, 198 1). The other involves the collective
usership of land (McGuire, 1986: 11 1-1 14). In this system, each member
contributes to the working of the land and, in turn, receives a share
of the return. The success of this type of ejido has been questioned by
some as yields tend to be lower than on either ejidos organized on the
basis of individual parcels or private land holdings (Yates, 1981). These
ejidos do, however, have the advantage of facilitating the use of large-
scale mechanized techniques, but these appear to be poorly suited to
arroyo environments (Freebairn, 1963: 11 58; Dovring, 1970:269).
The system involving the distribution of land by parcels to individ-
uals appears to have the greatest future in the development of arroyo
lands for agriculture and, indeed, is the prevailing system in places
where arroyos are currently farmed (Doolittle, 1983). According to
policy, any unused ejido land that is not farmed can be brought under
cultivation by any member of the community. The normal procedure
for a person wishing to farm is to choose a parcel and petition the
ejido chief for the right to cultivate it. Once permission is granted, the
farmer fences his parcel with barbed wire and begins to cultivate and
make improvements.
The spontaneous rather than planned nature of this agricultural
expansion has many advantages that help insure the success of devel-
opment. First, rather than being conceived and implemented by either
what might be considered "outsiders" (e.g., government agents) or local
people who will not use the fields themselves (e.g., other members of
the ejido who are already farming, in many cases prime irrigated
floodplain fields), expansion is undertaken by people who know the
local environments well. These are individuals who are best prepared
to make decisions about field locations (e.g., Padoch, 1986), and where,
when and how to construct water control devices that will ultimately
affect only them. Second, spontaneous expansion onto arroyo land
allows for farming strategies to be flexible, not predetermined by general