Mexico's Farmers in 2012: 5.3 Million (INEGI Census)

According to the 2012 Agricultural Census by Mexico's INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía), there were 5.3 million agricultural producers in Mexico.

Breakdown

• Total Production Units (UP): 5.3 million
• By Size:
  • Subsistence (<5 ha): ~3.5M (66%)
  • Small (5–20 ha): ~1.2M (23%)
  • Medium (20–100 ha): ~400K (7.5%)
  • Large (>100 ha): ~200K (3.5%)
• By Tenure:
  • Ejido / Comunidad (social property): ~55%
  • Private property: ~40%
  • Other (national, colonial): ~5%
• By Activity:
  • Crop production: ~4.8M
  • Livestock: ~2.1M (many mixed)
  • Forestry: ~300K
  • Aquaculture: ~50K

Demographics

• Average age: 57 years (aging crisis)
• Gender: 85% male-headed (women's land rights improving)
• Education: 40% primary or less; 15% secondary+
• Indigenous: ~1.2M identify as Indigenous (Nahua, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, etc.)

Policy Context (2012)

• PROCAMPO (direct payments per hectare) — main support
• Seguro Agrícola Catastrófico (disaster insurance)
• ASERCA (marketing support)
• Young farmer programs (limited uptake)

Post-2012 Trends

2022 Agricultural Census (preliminary): ~4.8M production units (decline). Aging, migration, climate stress, land consolidation. But value of production grew (intensification, high-value crops: berries, avocado, tomato).