STUDY OF COMPETITIVENESS OF FAMILIES IN EXTREME POVERTY IN SAN ANDRÉS TUXTLA, VERACRUZ, MÉXICO

Abstract

Poverty is a characteristic of most families who reside in the rural environment; peasants depend on the agricultural and livestock production as one of the main activities, although productivity is very low due to the low technological level, which limits competitiveness, in addition to being slightly related to the market and investment capital. Given that the main challenge is to foster competitiveness of peasant families in conditions of poverty, through a greater outreach to the economy, the main factors which determined the current competitiveness of poor farmers in San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, México, were identified. Surveys applied to rural actors were integrated and an analysis of income in farms was made
with the competitiveness variable. Family units in the study area were quite similar amongst them and between localities, highlighting that auto-consumption with little interaction towards the exterior predominates in San Andrés Tuxtla, with few producers who interact in the regional market selling excess, which represented competitiveness. Of the family units sampled, 48 % were competitive, with capitalization that produces at low costs and are demanding of technologies for production. The multiple correlation analysis indicated that competitiveness in the family units is related to the sale of excesses in the market and the accounts to be paid.