The Corporative Food Regime and Mexican Small Scale Agricultural Production Case Study: Tonatico, Estado De México

During a global corporative food regime (1980–2008), the creation of the international legal framework for trade liberalization, the protection of intellectual property rights, and consequently the implementation of neoliberal policies at a national level have drastically changed the conditions for Mexican agricultural production. In this article, the origin of these significant changes is identified with an explanation of the food system’s structural transformation at an international and national level, as well as illustrated with the transnational agribusiness’ dominance in agricultural production. Subsequently, in this context an example of subordinated Mexican small scale maize production in the rural municipality of Tonatico, Estado de México, is analyzed. This is accomplished by illustrating the incremented exploitation of campesino production within the corporate food regime. The analysis at a local level is based on field work carried out while staying in the municipality.