Agricultural Backyard Production in the Food Security Framework: A Case Study of a Microregion of Chicontepec Veracruz, Mexico

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of agricultural backyard production on the well-being of producing families in the context of food security in a Microregion of Chicontepec Veracruz, Mexico, highlighting the substantial economic advantages of this practice. Design/methodology/approach: Through probabilistic sampling, a structured survey on availability, accessibility, and nutrition was designed and applied to backyard-producing families. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables. Results: In the microregion of study, backyard production is distributed in 55.4% of fruit trees, 25.4% of regional crops, and 19.2% of vegetables. The two crops that add the most to the basic basket are corn and Chichimeken beans. 98% of producers estimate that backyard production (livestock and agriculture) saves the family economy 10% to 50% of its costs. Limitations on study/implications: Knowledge of the backyard production of the microregion under study will allow the development of municipal policies that will link producers with the local market. Findings/conclusions: Backyard production has been shown to contribute significantly to food security since different fruit trees, vegetables, and local crops substantially contribute to the household economy through sales and self-consumption.