TECHNICAL-PRODUCTIVE AND SOCIOECONOMIC LIMITATIONS TO THE ADOPTION OF URBAN AGRICULTURE. THE CASE OF THE URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE NETWORK OF XALAPA, VERACRUZ

Abstract

Currently, urban agriculture is recognized worldwide as an important economic activity, which contributes to improving the food, income and the environment of the population living in cities. In Mexico, despite the evident social, economic and environmental benefits of urban agriculture, as well as the existence of successful examples in some cities in this country, most of the population does not participate. The current investigation addressed the case of the Network of Urban and Periurban Agriculture (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, with the aim of analyzing the technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to the adoption of urban agriculture, from the perspective of the members who practice this activity in their homes and those who participate sporadically in the network, but have still not implemented it. 25 questionnaires were applied to active members and 10 to those who do not practice this activity. Data from the survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the program Excel. Two types of RAUP participants agreed that the main constraints are socioeconomic, for example lack of space in homesteads and limits on people‘s free time, both of which are related to urban lifestyle; whereas technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.