Bold Farm Plans in Mexico Offer a Ray of Hope in 2019

As many in the United States agriculture community breathed a sigh of relief that the recently passed Farm Bill isn’t as bad as it could be, our neighbors to the south are moving forward quickly and decisively with bold new plans to transform their food and farm system.

Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador took office on December 1 with an inaugural address outlining 100 promises for the transformation of the country’s government and economy. The plans include pledges to root out corruption and wasteful spending and to push forward quickly on new programs and reforms promised during his campaign. A month into his term, López Obrador had already fulfilled his commitment to hold a public referendum on the construction of a controversial new airport and canceled those plans as a result. And, efforts are well underway on a bold new initiative to transform Mexican agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in basic grains and enhance the livelihoods of family farmers and their communities.