Analysis and Diagnosis of the Productive Specialization of the Municipality of Calpan, Puebla, Mexico: A Case Study
José Luis López González
Polytechnic University of Puebla, Third Lane of the Ejido Serrano S/N, Cuanalá, Puebla, Puebla, México.
Juan Francisco Aguirre Cadena *
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences–Campus IV, Autonomous University of Chiapas, Junction of the Coastal Highway and the Town of Huehuetán, Chiapas. C.P. 30660, México.
José Arturo Méndez Espinoza
Polytechnic University of Puebla, Third Lane of the Ejido Serrano S/N, Cuanalá, Puebla, Puebla, México.
Romeo de Jesús Barrios Calderón
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences–Campus IV, Autonomous University of Chiapas, Junction of the Coastal Highway and the Town of Huehuetán, Chiapas. C.P. 30660, México.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The objective of the study was to analyze and diagnose the productive specialization of the municipality of Calpan, for which the Location Coefficient (LC), proposed by Boisier (1980), was calculated. The unit of analysis was the Economically Active Population (EAP) occupied by sector of the economy. Twelve semi-structured interviews with key informants in the municipality were also conducted. A questionnaire was applied to a representative sample of 110 producers involved in planting seasonal maize. The results indicate that there is a productive specialization according to the EAP in Mexico promoted towards the secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. The municipality of Calpan specializes in the agricultural sector. It should be noted that the agricultural specialization in maize represents the support food of the families, which is the reason for the persistence in its cultivation. It is also important to highlight the coexistence of agricultural systems such as the family orchard and the management of maize and livestock. The relationship between the two is important to improve nutrition.
Keywords: productive specialization, economically active population, location coefficient, maize