Cameron Siry
Comida Con Causa Research Paper June 7, 2018 Mexico's Global Economic Crisis For decades in Mexico there has been economic crisis and a brutal drug war. These issues have had a significant impact on the citizens of Mexico, disproportionately affecting poor farmers. Due to the meager income these farmers receive for their agricultural work, there remains limited choice but to be swept up by the illegal drug business. Run by the cartels, the drug trade makes an abundance of money for everyone involved. Although growing these narcotics may seem like a bad idea, this is merely the farmers conducting business as a means to survive in a cold-blooded economic system. Without growing these illicit crops, farmers would have no income or way to support their family. In Mexico, farmers are the main source of drug production and generate billions of dollars from the U.S which is causing a economic crisis.(History Staff) The current actions of the US and Mexican governments are only serving to exacerbate the illegal drug trade, guaranteeing the continued poverty and unsafe existence of its workers. Mexico's drug war began in the 19th century and is still a significant concern to this day. Since then, the Mexican government has had a stake in preventing the growth and distribution of drugs within and outside of their borders. Cocaine, marijuana, and opium have been sold from Mexico and distributed throughout the U.S, frequently popping up in California, New York, and other urban areas, according to History Staff, being driven into the drug business takes so little considering the alternatives, especially the lack of profitability from one crop to another. “By the mid-1980s, the U.S.-Mexican border became the main transport route for cocaine, marijuana and other drugs into the United States.” The emergence of cartels to manage vast territories and distribution networks presented a significant problem for the government of Mexico, as well as everyday citizens. The problems the government has caused within Mexico’s society include fear, corruption, and in many cases gruesome death. Farmers grow and produce narcotics and pass it on to the cartel, who ship the produce to countries around the world. These farmers resist the urge to take part in the illegal drug trade, but end up doing so anyway. The resolutions adopted by the Mexican government's ratification of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) have driven these farmers into the cartels arms simply due to the fact that it offers a path for a better life for them and their family. Since its inception in 1991, NAFTA has played a significant role within the agricultural industry, both benefiting and damaging the quality of life for all Mexicans: “When NAFTA agreement was being negotiated, 3 million producers, or 40 percent of all Mexicans working in agriculture, were cultivating corn. Mexico’s corn producers were hit the hardest by NAFTA. Mexico’s borders opened 10 years ahead of schedule to allow cheaper imports of corn and beans from the U.S. and Canada. As a result, small, poor farmers who produced for the local markets were forced to compete with cheaper imports. For those that did not lose their jobs, monthly income for self-employed farmers fell from 1959 pesos a month in 1991 to 228 pesos a month in 2003. ” (Women’s Edge Coalition Chart). The findings of the Women’s Edge Coalition show that previous levels of inequality in Mexico were compounded by the ratification of the NAFTA agreement. In real terms, the loss of income in twelve years (from 1991-2003) amounts to roughly 12% of previous pay. With such little amount of money for farmers to earn, it causes them to barely have enough money to feed their the family, provide education, or maintain a suitable life. How does this relate to drug trade? The answer is money. No legitimate agricultural product can yield the same level of income as the illegal drug trade. This factor is the driving force behind a farmer’s motivation to become a member of the drug business. “We’re complicit in this violent drug trade not because we want to do this but because we have to do this. If me and my family didn’t grow this crop, we wouldn’t have enough to eat or pay for school.”(The Guardian) This message stated from an interviewed farmer, written by The Guardian, gives us a glimpse at the life and the challenges that farmers face, along with the only way of survival for these normal citizens. If the income was fair within NAFTA and the government supported agriculture, it could eliminate the necessity for the farmers to go into the illegal drug trade. It also can give them a life that is suitable, while also decreasing poverty among rural mexicans. This is necessary partly because of the reliance on Mexico’s farmers for importation. According the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) 92% of U.S. vegetable imports come from Mexico in the year of 2017. Most importantly they have a family to manage and support, as well as putting them through school. With all these farmers switching from agricultural farming to illegal drug work, vegetable and fruit imports have been in a dramatic decline, shown in the deeper research from the USDA. The United States government can cut the source of mass production by allowing high ranking officials to restructure and support Mexico's economy to give the farmers and citizens an opportunity to make legal non-drug related money. This would greatly reduce the power of the drug industry. Although we may never be able to wipe out drugs completely, according to History staff, there are still ways we can hold back and change the amount of drugs present. If all these changes within the economy and NAFTA occur, it could lead to more support for workers and their rights. This change could give the workers an opportunity to live a crime free life, and cause more of the farmers to return back to growing agriculture. It would then benefit both Mexico's government and the U.S government, Mexico’s farmers, and finally reduce drug production.. Work Cited
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