Breaking Paradigms and Boosting Sustainable Agribusinesses in Mexico
In Mexico, smallholder farmers are learning how to transform their farms into prosperous, sustainable agribusinesses with support from TechnoServe and Walmart Foundation Mexico.
In Veracruz, Mexico, a group of smallholder farmers are embracing a grand dream: to transform their farms into prosperous, sustainable agribusinesses. In the past, Huixcolotla Select Fruits group farmers dealt with low prices and uncertainty about whether informal buyers would return to pay for their harvests.
Today, the Pequeño Productor Program, an initiative by Walmart Foundation Mexico and implemented by TechnoServe, has marked a turning point in the Huixcolotla community.
Thanks to the program’s training and business support, farmers learned that by uniting, they could improve their product quality and gain access to formal markets.
The group’s transformation has been impressive. They went from selling just one trailer (equivalent to 21 tons) in 2019 to selling 43 trailers in 2023, equivalent to 925 tons—a 44-fold increase. This growth is reflected not only in numbers but also in community impact. Huixcolotla Select Fruits has reinvested its sales profits by purchasing a vehicle for personnel transport and a truck to move its fruit, demonstrating its commitment to growth and sustainability. The group now employs over 200 people in the field and packaging warehouse.
Initiatives That Last
The Pequeño Productor Program has had a lasting impact on the lives of participating farmers. One of them is Elías Junior, a 26-year-old who now manages the Huixcolotla Select Fruits agribusiness.
His participation in the agribusiness allowed him to acquire new agronomy and business management skills, marking a significant change in his life. “I never imagined that being a producer would involve anything other than farming the land,” he shared. “Today, I know how to use a computer and manage the agribusiness I’m part of.”
Huixcolotla Select Fruits is just one of many success stories from the Pequeño Productor Program in Mexico. Through the program, producers learn skills like managing their business, approaching formal clients, planning volumes, and conducting cost and logistics analyses.
The Power of Business Support
To ensure the program’s mission endures, the TechnoServe technical team co-manages the agribusinesses with producers in the early years. Producers learn critical business skills, such as:
- Developing a cost structure
- Income and cost projection
- Logistics review
- Learning negotiation and co-management strategies
The program has demonstrated its ability to empower smallholder farmers and turn their dreams into reality. With the development of more than 38 agribusinesses and sales exceeding 3,500 million pesos ($180,000) in fruits and vegetables produced under regenerative practices, the program has shifted paradigms, proving that farmers are the true change agents in their communities.
“Agribusinesses elevate the competitiveness of smallholder farmers in formal markets by allowing access to various types of clients who demand high-quality food and business maturity,” explained TechnoServe Mexico Country Director Carolina Cely. “At the agribusiness level, producers learn about proper accounting management, among many other key aspects that make them more competitive and open new, better opportunities for the future.”
The program has transformed not only these producers’ farms but also their lives and those of their families. This approach ensures that the impact is lasting and sustainable for farming families.
“Thanks to Walmart Foundation Mexico, the team can leave a legacy of learning in smallholder farmers,” said Abel Muñiz, a technical supervisor for the program. “After some time, this translates into significant changes that allow these producers to offer and sell their products to formal clients.”
The Pequeño Productor Program demonstrates that with the right tools, smallholder farmers can secure a prosperous future for themselves and their families. It sows hope for future generations who will see agriculture not just as a livelihood but as a way to transform communities and challenge established paradigms.
