The aim of this study was to determine the socioeconomic, production characteristics and milk production cost of dual-purpose farms (DPF) oriented to milk production in a subtropical region of Central Mexico. The study focused on ten DPF that produce milk all year round, to gather socioeconomic characteristics of farmers (age, family structure, education level), farm resources (land holding, herd structure, infrastructure, management) and economic information during the year 2008. Family labour (FL) covers 66% of labour needs. The average milk production cost was US$0.21, fluctuating from US$0.19 to US$0.31 during the rainy and dry season, respectively. Supplements and hired labour (HL) accounted for 48 and 35% of milk production cost, respectively. Milk production generated daily incomes that covered daily operation costs of farms, as well as the economic needs of the farming family. Calves represented important incomes that ranged between 30 and 50% of total annual farm incomes, cashed in once or twice a year. Milk production provides economic stability to DPF, whereas FL and low input use are key elements that allow low costs in the production of milk and calves in DPF in Central Mexico.

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The objective of this study was to assess the sustainability of 10 dual-purpose cattle farms in a subtropical area of central Mexico. The IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles) was applied, which includes the agroecological, socio-territorial and economic scales (scores from 0 to 100 points per scale). A sample of 47 farms from a total of 91 registered in the local livestock growers association was analysed with principal component analysis and cluster analysis. From results, 10 farms were selected for the in-depth study herein reported, being the selection criterion continuous milk production throughout the year. Farms had a score of 88 and 86 points for the agroecological scale in the rainy and dry seasons. In the socio-territorial scale, scores were 73 points for both seasons, being the component of employment and services the strongest. Scores for the economic scale were 64 and 56 points for the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, when no economic cost for family labour is charged, which decreases to 59 and 45 points when an opportunity cost for family labour is considered. Dual-purpose farms in the subtropical area of central Mexico have a medium sustainability, with the economic scale being the limiting factor, and an area of opportunity.

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Introducción. El frijol es un producto agroalimentario por tradición y clave en la dieta del mexicano, por su precio y por ser una fuente importante de proteínas. Objetivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar y analizar econométricamente los factores que afectan el mercado de frijol grano; así como medir el efecto que los diferentes niveles de precios tienen sobre este en México. Materiales y métodos. En este trabajo se estimó, con información anual de 1980 a 2016, un modelo de ecuaciones simultáneas, integrado por cinco ecuaciones de regresión y una identidad. Resultados. En el corto plazo, el consumo y la producción de frijol grano en México respondió inelásticamente (-0,2996% y 0,4151%) ante cambios del 1% en los precios correspondientes. Los cambios en los factores que más afectaron el consumo fueron: el ingreso nacional disponible para consumo per cápita, el precio del huevo y el precio de la tortilla de maíz, con elasticidades precio-cruzadas de -0,8797, -0,8594 y -0,7101; y a la producción fueron: el precio del arroz, el precio del maíz y el precio del fertilizante, estos con elasticidades precio-cruzadas de -0,7005, -0,5545 y -0,3474. El efecto del precio internacional y el costo de transporte en México, incidieron sobre el precio almayoreo del frijol a un nivel de 0,27 y 0,23%, por cada cambio porcentual unitario en los primeros. Conclusión. Alser más inelástica en términos absolutos, la elasticidad precio propia del consumo de frijol en México, en comparacióncon la correspondiente de la producción; sugiere que el excedente del consumidor es mayor al del productor nacionalal participar en el mercado de frijol e implica que una política de subsidio a este grano incentivaría la producción.