1. Examining Indigenous perspectives on the health implications of large‐scale agriculture in Jalisco, Mexico.
- Author
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Day, Angela, Magaña‐González, Claudia Rocío, and Wilson, Kathi
- Subjects
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COMMUNITY-based participatory research , *AGRICULTURE , *ENVIRONMENTAL health , *AGRICULTURAL industries , *SOIL moisture - Abstract
In Mexico, as in many other parts of the world, industrial agriculture is dramatically changing rural landscapes and altering relationships with the land. This paper draws on community‐based research from a collaborative international research project that examined the perceived health implications of the agricultural industry for Indigenous peoples in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Thirty interviews were conducted in a Nahuas community experiencing expanding agribusiness industries. The results of this study show that the implications of export‐oriented agricultural industry for this Nahuas community are complex and, at times, contradictory: employment in the agricultural industry provides community members with much‐needed sources of income, but it is precarious work. At the same time, community members are concerned about the long‐term health and environmental implications, such as increased exposure to chemicals, depletion of the soil and water, and loss of traditional food and lifeways. These results suggest that to better understand the costs and benefits of large‐scale agriculture for Indigenous health, a broad lens of health that is situated in the context of colonial legacies and the particularities of relationships with the land is required. Key Messages: The health dimensions of export‐oriented agriculture for Indigenous communities throughout Mexico are complex and, at times, contradictory.Indigenous determinants of health frameworks help illuminate the risks and benefits of agricultural industries in Jalisco.For study participants, these industries present a tension between determinants of health; notably, much‐needed sources of income and long‐term health and environmental risks. This research provides a window into the particularities of a Nahuas community in rural Mexico, showing some of the contradictions and complexities of industrial agriculture in relation to local conceptions of health and well‐being.The results begin to illustrate the dynamic interplay between proximal, intermediate, and distal determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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