RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM PROAGRO PRODUCTIVO IN THE REGIONS OF THE STATE OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO

Abstract

The discussion about achievements and results of the application of government programs is relevant from an institutional learning perspective. The result of this exercise is the basis for redesigning programs in operation or designing new ones. The objective of the present study was to analyze the distribution of the beneficiaries, the support provided, as well as the area supported and its productive heterogeneity with the operation data of the government program PROAGRO Productivo, for the regions of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The number of beneficiaries, the support provided and the area sown from the initial year (2014) to the end (2018) were analyzed based on the program´s official list of beneficiaries. Through multivariate analysis (dendrogram and k-means) we found: a lower budget and number of beneficiaries from 2014 to 2018, the grouping of five types of municipalities with very high, high, medium, low and very low levels regarding the number of beneficiaries, support provided and area supported. Their distribution was heterogeneous in the different regions of the state, but with a greater presence of farmers in the self-consumption stratum (A), followed by transition (T) and to a lesser extent commercial (C), with support for different types of crops and extension of the area promoted by region. The program performance went downwards in terms of support provided and area supported, so that it failed to meet its objectives. The next step would be a reflection on the categories used to stratify farmers, as well as redesigning a new evaluation scheme in which the beneficiaries may have a leading role.