The economic challenges faced by Mexico in the 1980s are now placed in sharp perspective by a long-time follower of that scene. An advisor to that country's government and agriculturalists since 1957, Paul Lamartine Yates offers a challenging blueprint for the future -one which confronts the dilemma of developing a self-sufficient agricultural base versus maintaining a favorable balance of trade. Adapted and updated from El Campo Mexicano, this English-language abridgement focuses on every aspect of the Mexican economy in pursuit of that dilemma's resolution. Of particular interest is the emergence of oil as a factor: whether to use the leverage it creates in international markets to import needed food or foster improvements within the agricultural sector. that decision will have a crucial impact on U.S.- Mexican relations, as well as implications for the other oil-rich countries in similar straits.

Text in English