Validation of a methodological model to incubate successful agribusinesses in marginalized areas from South Mexico

Abstract

Given the situation of poverty and marginalization in which most of the communities in the rural areas of the Mexican South Southeast are found, a situation that affects 17 million people classified as in a situation of extreme poverty, agribusiness is an alternative under these conditions for it. An operational and practical methodology is required that allows a good identification and implementation of initiatives according to the situation and the environment. The objective of this work was to validate an operational methodological model called model for the competitiveness of small farmers in extreme poverty based on agribusiness. The validation project was developed in four pilot communities in the Mexican South Southeast considered to be highly marginalized and poor: San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz; Tahdziu, Yucatan; Ocotepec, Chiapas and San Jerónimo Taviche, Oaxaca. The applied model consists of four stages, diagnosis, incubation, development and maturity. The diagnosis considered in turn two sub-stages, one on the description of the environment and the actors and the second on the definition of the portfolio of opportunities. The incubation considered the sub-stages of prioritization through a qualification criteria and the business plan itself according to the conditions of the actors and the environment. The development stage is nothing more than the start-up and consolidation of the business with a view to continuous improvement. The results obtained were four agribusinesses in progress, one for each pilot community, with profitability indicators such as the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 35.0%, 100.0%, 41.0% and 45.9% for jam production in San Andrés Tuxtla Veracruz, Stevia production and marketing in Tadhziu Yucatán, Hass avocado production and marketing in San Pablo Huacanó Chiapas and tomato production and marketing in greenhouses in San Jerónimo Taviche Oaxaca, respectively. The operational methodological model to identify and develop agribusiness in poor and marginalized communities was successfully validated. It is concluded that it is possible to develop profitable and competitive agribusiness in conditions of extreme poverty and marginalization.