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Abstract
This article addresses the issue of whether the tomato agroindustry (TAl) has been an effective instrument in the reduction of
rural poverty. The TAl is by far the most important agroindustry in Mexico in terms of exports and employment creation. Most
of the laborers employed by the TAl in northwest Mexico are temporary migrants coming from poverty-stricken regions in
southern Mexico. Conditions of poverty-induced migration are explained. The characteristics and strategies of large, modern
tomato enterprises are analyzed. The main conclusion is that migrant income earned in the tomato fields and packing plants, is
fundamental for the bare survival in villages in poverty-stricken regions. However, this does not provide a solution to poverty
alleviation because migrant income is not sufficient to contribute to capital formation in the migrating communities, or the to
create the conditions for endogenous local development.© 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.