Designing a Programme to Support Smallholder Agriculture in Mexico: Lessons from PROCAMPO and Oportunidades

This article argues that there is a gap in current Mexican rural development policy that could be filled by a smallholder-targeted programme. The gap exists because agricultural programmes tend to benefit better-off farmers, while social programmes tend to focus on long-term investment in human capital, specifically for the children of today's poor. Drawing on lessons from PROCAMPO and Oportunidades, it offers a specific design for such a programme at a time when the government is considering how to reform PROCAMPO, given that, after 15 years, it is due to come to an end. Copyright (c) The Authors 2009. Journal compilation (c) 2009 Overseas Development Institute..