To
Die a Little: Migration and Coffee in Mexico and Central America By
Luis Hernández Navarro
Reyno
Bartolo Hernández died of heatstroke in the Arizona desert
near Yuma on May 22, 2001. He wasn’t the only Mexican farmer
who lost his life that day trying to cross the border. Thirteen of
his countrymen and -women perished along with him in one more of the
migratory tragedies of modern history. Reyno and his companions
were small coffee growers from the township of Atzalan, Veracruz.
Atzalan is a formerly rich region but in recent years it has been
impoverished by senseless policies. Until just a few years ago, few
of its residents migrated to the United States. Then the price of
coffee fell, and so did the price of citrus fruits and cattle. To
make matters worse, bananas were attacked by fruit flies and the
coffee crop was struck by a devastating plant disease. Small coffee
growers became migrants. Ironically, coffee is one of the
products where Mexican and Central American farmers should be
profitable according to the theory of comparative advantages. But
instead of being a bonanza, coffee cultivation under current
conditions has condemned the growers to poverty, exile, death or
charity. Meanwhile, transnational traders and international
investment funds accumulate huge fortunes. Luis Hernández
Navarro is Opinions Editor of the Mexico daily La Jornada, former
adviser to the National Coalition of Coffee Organizations (CNOC) and
member of the Mexican Center for Rural Studies (CECCAM). He is a
regular contributor to the IRC Americas Program.
