La agricultura del maíz y el sorgo en el Bajío mexicano: Revolución verde, sequías y expansión forrajera, 1940-2021

Abstract

The article analyzes maize and sorghum agriculture from 1940 to 2021 in the agricultural region of central Mexico known as the Mexican Basin or Bajío. The paper discusses the linear approach of scholars in observing the displacement of maize by sorghum under the Green Revolution paradigm that dominated the second half of the twentieth century. Analysis of surface data, agricultural production, and meteorological records shows how interactions between innovation, environment, and agro-industry, along with shifts in the Mexican government’s political economy concerning agriculture have influenced a reverse displacement since the 1990s. This displacement is also reflected in the global decline of sorghum as a forage crop, which has been replaced by soybeans and other legumes as well as maize. The relevance of maize as animal feed and a food industry input has increased greatly over the last forty years.