Growing buildings in corn fields: Urban expansion and the persistence of maize in the Toluca Metropolitan Area, Mexico

Amy Lerner, Stuart Sweeney and Hallie Eakin
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Amy Lerner: Rutgers University, USA
Stuart Sweeney: University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Hallie Eakin: Arizona State University, USA

Urban Studies, 2014, vol. 51, issue 10, 2185-2201

Abstract: Urban growth continues to rise globally, especially in and around small cities and peri-urban areas of the developing world. In Mexico, a culture of maize production still exists alongside rapid urban and industrial growth, which exemplifies a hybridized urban-rural landscape. This paper discusses a study of household land-use and livelihood strategies in the Toluca Metropolitan Area, west of Mexico City, a traditional maize-growing region that has experienced rapid urban growth. Logistic regression combined with ethnographic data illustrate that maize is being abandoned to some extent as producers age and non-farm income sources surge. At the same time, some maize still persists for tradition and security as non-farm income is often volatile. Our results reflect a persistence of maize in peri-urban areas of central Mexico, which should not be ignored by policy and planning.

Keywords: identity; maize; Mexico; peri-urban; rural-urban transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:51:y:2014:i:10:p:2185-2201

DOI: 10.1177/0042098013506064

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