Water Crisis in Sinaloa Drives Up Costs for Milk and Corn Production
The water crisis in Sinaloa, Mexico, has reached critical levels, with reservoirs such as Sanalona, Miguel Hidalgo, and Adolfo López Mateos operating at just 8.3%, 7.5%, and 11.8% capacity, respectively. This situation has resulted in significant financial losses, estimated at 10,000 pesos per hectare for corn cultivation.
The depletion of water resources has severely affected the availability of fodder for livestock production units in the region. The Coordinación Organizadora de la Unidad Campesina (COUC) has called for agricultural and livestock support policies to be unified, highlighting the need for increased irrigation efficiency as current systems operate at only 35% of their potential, wasting two-thirds of captured water.
The COUC has urged the Mexican government to declare water scarcity a national security issue. While state programs utilizing cloud seeding have partially alleviated the situation, structural investment in Sinaloa's hydraulic infrastructure is deemed urgent to prevent the financial collapse of dairy and agricultural producers.
Mexico, despite being the world's largest importer of corn with purchases exceeding 24.5 million tonnes, is experiencing local grain shortages, which has led to increased production costs for meat and milk. The COUC argues that traditional subsidies are inadequate and advocates for the adoption of biotechnology, biological fertilizers, and precision agriculture.
The upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) presents an opportunity to secure international funding for modernizing irrigation districts and rehabilitating pastures in Sinaloa. This approach could protect local producers from heavily subsidized foreign competition and ensure food supply chain viability within North America.
According to the COUC, a long-term state policy is needed to safeguard food sovereignty, requiring collaboration among scientists, dairy producers, and authorities. The focus should be on co-investment to build a resilient agricultural system, emphasizing that the supply of social goods should not be a resource competition but rather a shared priority.
