Strengthening producer groups, the rural community, and agri-food chains are important actions to help solve the problem of food poverty, improve the living conditions of producers and promote sustainable development in rural México. It is necessary to seek new ways to improve decision-making by producer groups and establish some principles to strengthen the different links in agri-food chains. The objective of this study was to analyze the integration of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (PRIA) in the corn agri-food chain in order to assess its strengthening. A study was carried out in three cases based on the application of the “Working With People” (WWP) model as well as interviews with key actors. It was found that cooperating groups with a higher degree of application of the WWP model and PRIAs have a higher degree of stability and sustainable development and strengthen the integration and cooperation of local action groups. These groups have the technical component better organize the agri-food processes and better incorporate the PRIAs and improve their economic, social, and environmental development compared to other groups that do it in a traditional way.

Strengthening producer groups, the rural community, and agri-food chains are important actions to help solve the problem of food poverty, improve the living conditions of producers and promote sustainable development in rural México. It is necessary to seek new ways to improve decision-making by producer groups and establish some principles to strengthen the different links in agri-food chains. The objective of this study was to analyze the integration of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (PRIA) in the corn agri-food chain in order to assess its strengthening. A study was carried out in three cases based on the application of the “Working With People” (WWP) model, as well as interviews with key actors. It was found that cooperating groups with a higher degree of application of the WWP model and PRIAs have a higher degree of stability and sustainable development and strengthen the integration and cooperation of local action groups. The groups that are associated and have the technical component, better organize the agri-food processes and better incorporate the PRIAs and improve their economic, social and environmental development, compared to other groups that do it in a traditional way.

Objective To identify the corn variety with the best yield, nutrients, flavor, and profitability to use as main input for a future tortillería (tortilla store) operated by the Sociedad de Producción Rural Campo Lima (SCL). A mixed research methodology was used to compare key values of the transformation chain of corn grains into nixtamalized tortilla. In addition, interviews with key players and participant observation were used as information tools and included weights, properties, and yields of the tortillerías. The findings allowed a comparative evaluation of the four corn varieties (Niebla, HS-2, native corn, and Sinaloa) and included the following yield indicators: nixtamalization-to-dough-to-tortilla, nutrient content, sensory perception, and benefit/cost analysis. The hybrid HS-2 (developed by the Colegio de Postgraduados) stood out with the highest average value. A limitation was the scarce literature about this type of research carried out in semi-mechanized tortillerías. In conclusion, the identification and selection of the most efficient and balanced corn input will help the small producers of the Sociedad de Producción Rural Campo-Lima to carry out a better decision-making process and responsibly invest in the creation of a tortillería. This step will get them closer to a fair market inclusion, consequently, generating a fair income. This process will add value to the corn they grow and will motivate new generations to continue sowing corn.