Abstract

AYALA-GARAY, Alma Velia; GONZALEZ-GONZALEZ, Miguel  and  LIMON-ORTEGA, Agustín. Mechanization for the production process of maize and amaranth in the central highlands of Mexico. Rev Cie Téc Agr [online]. 2016, vol.25, n.4, pp.74-80. ISSN 2071-0054.  http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.36250.85449.

About 95 % of growers in the central highlands of Mexico are typified as smallholder farmers growing 3.10 ha of maize and 5.0 of amaranth. These crops are mostly grown following traditional technologies. The objective of this work was to identify the agricultural equipment used to grow amaranth and maize in the highlands of Mexico for purposes of improvement. Maize and amaranth growers from the states of Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala were surveyed in 2014 from March to September. According to results, the mechanization level is relatively low; only 12 and 22 percent of amaranth and maize growers, respectively, possess machinery. This is mostly due to economic constrains to acquire machinery. Other constrains are the reduction in productivity, increasing production costs and poor mechanization. To encourage the acceptance of amaranthus among farmers, it is necesary to mechanize the production process, mainly at harvest. For the case of maize, farmers consider investiment in machinery as unnecesary as it is expensive to acquiere and maintain it

Keywords : Mechanization; smallholder farmers; agricultural equipment; tractors.

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