Economic contribution of draught animals to Mazahua smallholder Campesino farming systems in the highlands of Central Mexico.

This research investigated the economic value of draught animals to small-scale Mazahua campesino farming systems in two villages in the central highlands of Mexico. The study found that for these families, owning such animals both generates income and lightens their workload.

Objective and Method

This study aimed to ascertain the economic value of draught animals in smallholder Mazahua campesino farming systems in two mountain villages – San Pablo Tlalchichilpa (SPT) and La Concepción Mayorazgo (LCM) – in the region of San Felipe del Progreso in Central Mexico. These farming communities use draught animals not only for cultivations tasks, but also as pack animals and for transport for both agricultural and domestic activities. The study monitored 12 households that utilized draught animals over the course of a year, from July 1999 to June 2000.

• Nine of these households were in SPT and three in LCM.
• The key variables assessed were animal inventories and income derived from these draught animals, which included both cash income and opportunity values (such as work the animal might perform which replaces the need for paid labor).

Findings

The study found significant variability in the use and type of draught animals between the two villages.

• In SPT, equines had largely replaced bulls, and their multifaceted contributions (work, transport, etc.) were highly valued.
• In contrast, in LCM, bulls were still predominantly used specifically for ploughing.
• Across both villages, the total average annual gross income per farm from owning draught animals was $490.78, plus an additional $56 in opportunity value related to the fertilizer value of the manure.
• After estimated costs were deducted, owning draught animals left an average annual net profit margin of $412.50 in SPT, and $285.64 in LCM.
• The study also found a significant statistical correlation (p < 0.05) between ownership of draught animals and income, with a regression coefficient indicating an increase of $279.16 per year per draught animal.

Social Impact

In addition to providing positive economic returns, ownership of draught animals was found to alleviate the burden of manual labor for the campesino farming families. This offers a quality of life improvement and potential health benefits as well. This aspect, however, was not quantified in the study.