Título del libro: Latinos In Midwest: Essays In Honor Julian Samora
Título del capítulo: Increasing knowledge and networking opportunities for small-scale mexican growers in Southwest Michigan
MARIA JOSEFA SANTOS CORRAL;
Autores externos:
Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2011
Resumen:
In agriculture, Michigan's second largest industry, Hispanics are becoming increasingly important. In 2006, Hispanics made up only 3.9% (393,281) of Michigan's total population; however, this figure represents a 20.3% increase over the previous six years. Furthermore, Michigan ranks fourth in the nation in the number of seasonal agricultural migrant workers, with approximately 45,000 annually, most of whom are Hispanics. The majority of these workers come from Mexico, following the southern migrant stream and harvesting crops in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina before reaching Michigan. Texas, followed by California, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Washington, Idaho, and Michigan, had the largest number of Hispanic farm owners and the largest acreage in farm holdings in 2002 (A. López 2007). Moreover, it is well known that the grower population in Michigan and throughout the United States is aging; the average age of Michigan growers is about 60 years, and their progeny are not likely to continue farming. Alternatively, the average age among Mexican growers is 35-40 years, and it is more likely that their descendants will continue the farming tradition (A. López 2007). For this reason, it is important to pay attention to Hispanic farmers and their business needs. Another important reason to pay attention to these growers is that ethnic groups often introduce new crop varieties that are native to their country of origin and, as a consequence, help to open new niche markets and new business opportunities. Growing crops native to their country of origin helps immigrant groups satisfy the need for products that bring back memories from their country of origin, and helps the community to form cultural bonds. In short, the number of Mexican growers has increased considerably and is beginning to form an important entrepreneurial group in southwest Michigan. For this reason, programs, projects, courses, businesses, educational, and governmental institutions need to make adjustments to meet the needs of this important new group of grower-entrepreneurs. To date, the main sources of knowledge for these growers have been a few individuals that belong to the same ethnic group. Lacking experience, Mexican growers have a great need for information and training in basic agricultural p
Entidades citadas de la UNAM:
ISBN:
9780870139963
Editorial:
Michigan State University Nombre de la publicación:
Increasing knowledge and networking opportunities for small-scale mexican growers in Southwest Michigan
Página inicial:
257
Página final:
279
Tipo de producto:
Capítulo de un Libro
