Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Objective: To evidence the ways that popular citizen organizations are farming nowadays in order to build sustainable urban settings, not focusing exclusively on economic growth. Their proposals are based on three axes: environmental, economic, and social; destined to improve alimentation and a sense of community in vulnerable urban zones. Methodology: The qualitative foundation is based on following 45 production units. The quantitative foundation is based on the application of a survey to 25 woman-producers, members of the XicoKaa’a Comunicaciones A. C., located in Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, used to elaborate the Evaluation Framework of Natural Resource Management Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (Marco de Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturales Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad - MESMIS). Results: The sustainability of urban agriculture is strong. It fulfills the function, which originates it and fosters sustainable development and food sovereignty. According to the MESMIS criteria, over 50 % were evaluated as sustainable, allowing for the generation of energy within the productive system. Limitations: There are few studies on the state of urban agriculture in the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City regarding benefits, impacts, or damages caused by producing in one of the largest cities in the world. Also, there is a narrow focus of the results on a specific sector of the population living in the eastern periphery. Conclusions: Citizen organizations prove that they can start actions within the sustainability framework, like urban agriculture, at the same time generating benefits for the community, alimentary, and economic conditions.

Objective: To determine the structure of the human values amongst local consumers of  “queso Crema de Chiapas” and “queso Bola de Ocosingo”, and to identify the meanings and communalities that native consumers give to these cheeses. Methodology: a survey was applied (n1 = 230; n2 = 200) in which each consumer selected the 13 most important values and the 13 least important values, from a list of 40 human values. With the Euclidean distances of the proximity matrices generated with the orderings of the human values, a non-metric dimensional analysis was applied and the first two dimensions were plotted, in addition, the averages and standard deviations for each value were obtained. An image of each of the cheeses studied was showed to the same consumers and they were asked to write three words associated with the image, the answers were grouped by affinity to form categories. A test of k proportions and the Marascuilo procedure were applied to the frequencies of words associated in each category. Results: For the “queso Bola de Ocosingo” the human values of respect for tradition, educated and obedient were presented in the eighth, ninth and twenty-eighth places; the highest percentage of commonality of meaning corresponded to the category of hedonism (34.27%) and thirdly the meaning of identity (7.17%). For the “queso Crema of Chiapas” educated, respect for tradition and obedient occupied the fourth, the sixth and the eighth place of importance and the highest percentages of commonality of meanings were presented for the categories of process (10.05%), attributes of appearance ( 13.29%), identity (14.18%), hedonism (15.66%) and food dishes and pairings (16.55%), all statistically equal. Limitations: Due to the sample sizes used, the margin of error was 7%. Conclusions: The structure of the human values, amongst consumers of the two varieties of cheese was different, the motivational values of tradition and conservation were more important amongst “queso Crema de Chiapas” consumers  than amongst “queso Bola de Ocosingo“ consumers. The percentage of the commonality for the meaning of identity was greater in the “queso Crema de Chiapas” than in the “queso Bola de Ocosingo”.

It has been documented that those cheese factories that reach a more degree of technification, production, and sales enter into a complicated decision process, since the increase in volume causes them to move away from the qualities of craftsmanship and genuineness and resemble to products derived from an industrial process. Objective: Identify social and technological innovations that allow Mexican artisan cheese makers to gain market, without losing the qualities of genuineness and craftsmanship in their products. Methodology: The production system of 32 genuine Mexican cheeses that meet the four craft characteristics mentioned in the literature was analyzed. The cheeses were grouped in relation to the variables: type of supply, type of livestock from which the raw material comes from and organizational integration, through an analysis of hierarchical type conglomerates. Then, the variables that distinguish each group were identified in terms of their geographical, microbiological, physicochemical, commercial and legal characteristics through a discriminating canonical analysis. Results: According to the type of supply, livestock where the raw material and organizational integration comes from, three groups of cheeses were identified. The variables that distinguish them were the market reach, the type of pasta, the pH and the macro region. The results reflect that organizational integration and physicochemical characteristics such as lower humidity and pH facilitate marketing to more distant, regional and international markets. Limitations: The main limitation of this study is that, probably, this analysis does not include many Mexican cheeses that are known only locally but meet the characteristics of craftsmanship and genuineness. Conclusions: There are technological innovations, such as longer maturation with physical and biotechnological means, which could help improve product stability. This would increase sanitary quality and allow these cheeses to be transported to more distant markets; while for the field of social innovation, the organization of the processors and marketers of the different cheeses would be essential for the emergence of distinctive signs and for the creation of direct sales spaces.

Objective: This research analyzes Greenpeace Mexico's discourse on the concepts of food security, food sovereignty and the right to food. Methodology: this article employs a qualitative methodology with the assistance of Atlas.ti software. Methodology: is based on the theory of framing (diagnostic and prognostic functions). A total 151 pieces of Greenpeace Mexico’s website from 2007-2017 are analyzed. Results: the frames found are described and the most important key words and expressions are exposed. Limitations: This research is limited to the analysis of Greenpeace Mexico’s discourse. The study of other Greenpeace units’ discourse would allow assessing whether the NGO maintains a homogenous discourse at a global level or whether there are significant differences according to local circumstances. Conclusions: In summary, Greenpeace Mexico’s discourse around the concepts of "food security", "food sovereignty" and the "right to food" is clearly anti-neoliberal but does not reflect the academic debate regarding these concepts. The complaints (diagnostic frame function) and proposals (prognostic frame function) in Greenpeace Mexico’s discourse are identified, recreating the narrative of five specific frames. The most repeated oppositional terms and expressions are also, identified.

Objective: Analyze the Sonora´s State Debt Registry, a local mechanism that among a National Debt Registry and its derivatives on state, are a master key on the new institutional arrangement as consulting mechanisms and analysis of available information about public subnational debt. We investigated how and with what characteristics it had been activated the Sonora’s State Debt Registry; the hypothesis suggest that the existence of the mechanism in the regulations does not guarantee its implementation. Methodology: In the development of the research, a non-experimental qualitative methodology is use for the case study, based on three tools: the normative document review, the direct consultation of public debt records and the formulation of information requests. Results: The Sonora´s State Debt Registry was not activated as a public debt consultation mechanism until 2018 and that when it was activated, it done partially and incompletely. Limitations: The Sonora´s State Debt Registry was not activated until 2018; this situation stated has limited transparency and the possibility of having relevant information about local debt, available to decision makers. It was also found that the data provided by the analyzed institutional mechanism does not allow knowing the level of implementation of the new public policy on subnational debt. Conclusions: Show the need to complement the regulations with public policy decisions that turn the legal text a reality with consequences.

Objective: To analyze the extent to which the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach can favor the mining activity contributing to the development of the communities where it is carried out without negative impacts on the stakeholders involved. Methodology: Based on interviews with four mining groups, it is describing the way they are perceived and cared for the demands and needs. This is: of the main interest groups, over which the company has responsibility Results: Four areas where CSR was present were identified: having the distinction, the different practices carried out by the companies, the practices that according to the companies constitute CSR behavior and finally, the relationship they have with their workers and with the community where they operate. Limitations: The results of the research are focused on four gold and copper mining groups located in four different municipalities of the state of Sonora. The results include the perceptions regarding the CSR approach of mining companies, their direct employees and the communities involved. Conclusions: Despite the urgency in its application, the RSE actions of the Sonoran mining sector are in an emerging and experimental stage. The integration of community development models that take into account actions aimed at the different interest groups opens the possibility to mark a trend that promotes a transition from philanthropic practices to the search for social empowerment and welfare.

Throughout nine chapters, this work addresses global value chains, is divided into two parts; the first one focuses on the theoretical and methodological elements and the main debates that take place regarding the concept and its applications; the second part, which consists of three chapters, establishes an application for the south-southeast Mexican case. This document seeks to define the contributions, both methodological and economic policy, that over thirty years have offered the studies of value chains. The work establishes the theoretical and methodological foundations made by well-known authors on the subject such as Gary Gereffi and Enrique Dussel, who together with academics who carry out applications of the concept to problems of the Mexican economy; define a hard core around this issue. Some contributions are also included to the development of a particular region under this conceptual scheme.

The book "Food, culture and space" is the result of a seminar on anthropology of food in which what is defined as a culinary region is explored from the concept of "sociocultural region". For the coordinators of this collective work, the culinary regions make up a complete cultural system. In this framework, case studies are presented that support the explicative capacity of this concept.

Objective: The objective of this study was to know the perception, opinion, and attitude of the amaranth producers of Tochimilco region, as well as to identify the explanatory variables of the producers' willingness to aggregate value to the primary production. The data was gathered through a structured survey, using a sample of 70 amaranth producers from four towns in the municipality, with 95 percent reliability and 10 percent accuracy. Metodology: The data was obtained through a structured survey of a statistical sample of 70 amaranth producers, with 95 % reliability and 10 % accuracy. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the use of an econometric model of ordinal probit regression. Results: Indicated that 77 % of the interviewees do not consume the amaranth and 97 % do not make any type of aggregation of value to their production; the main reasons are lack of capital, training, and low knowledge of market. 56 % of the producers would be willing to add value to the amaranth if they had greater certainty of the market price they would receive. The explanatory and significant variables (p ? 0.05) of the willingness to add value to the amaranth, and with greater marginal effects, are schooling, in the interval of baccalaureate, the age, in the interval of 20-35 years, knowledge about value adding processes, and knowledge of consumer preferences. Limitations: There was no a complete list of amaranth farmers, so, it was difficult to get a large simple. Conclusion: There exists positive actitude to add value to the raw production. Value added to amaranth production could be realized if goverment provide correct incentives; training and financing

Objective: Analyze the Mexican food policy in the period 2000-2018; measure the intensity of the intervention of four food programs and the changes in the levels of food shortage at state level between 2010 and 2015 and the effect of those programs on the lack of food in the Mexican states. Methodology: Documentary and statistical analysis from secondary sources; the latter included the construction of indicators and the application of the statistical regression technique to quantify the relationship between coverage levels and spending of four food support programs at the state level, as well as between these and the behavior of food shortage between 2010 and 2015. Results: The programs do not share a specific resources distribution pattern, although all show an expansion of their coverage, probably related to the increase in their spending level. However, according to the analysis carried out, the increase in the intervention of the set of programs between 2010 and 2015, did not have a significant effect in the reduction of the food shortage and, in some states, it did not avoid its increase between both years. Limitations: The exploratory study section does not delve into the contextual factors that could be conditioning the results of the programs, for which new research is required that limits the intervention capacity of the programs in the face of important changes in the economic or social environment. Conclusions: The results show that it should be questioned the effectiveness of the resources assigned to certain food programs, as well as the criteria under which the priority federal entities are determined.