Socioeconomic and environmental factors that impact vegetable production

Objective: To analyze the factors that contribute to the reduction of vegetable production in the San Vicente Chicoloapan ejido. Design/Methodology/Approach: Sixty out of a total of 150 ejidatarios who produced vegetables in 2022 participated in a convenience sampling. Producers who agreed to be surveyed were interviewed in their plots. Results: The ejidatarios have an average of 1.47 agricultural ha (minimum: 1 ha; maximum: 5 ha), considering both irrigated and rainfed lands. The use of the sample studied was divided as follows: 43.3% of the owners sold their land to developers who built housing units and new houses; 38.3% cultivated their own land or those they rented; and 18.3% rented out their lands. The ejidatarios suffer from vegetable theft, particularly pumpkin (45.0%), artichoke (31.7%), onion (13.3%), chard (8.3%), and cabbage (1.7%). Study Limitations/Implications: Designing a random sample was impossible given the lack of access to a register of ejidatarios. Estimating the harvested area or estimating yield based on the production volume was impossible, since producers grow several crops in their plots, besides vegetables. Findings/Conclusions: Vegetable production in the San Vicente Chicoloapan ejido, State of Mexico, is at risk of disappearing, as a consequence of economic and social issues and a lack of support. The ejidatarios who still grow vegetables have tried to mitigate these problems; however, their future as producers is severely limited and older people have chosen to sell their land, which are used by developers to build houses.