Strategies against Hunger in Yucatan: A Historical Look at the Food Problem

Abstract

The way hunger is understood and addressed as a convoluted problem varies greatly in different contexts and spatial-temporal scales. The ways public policy has attempted to solve this problem have been ineffective, as there are many social and natural implications that come together. To propose a solution at the root of such a complex, transcendental, and convoluted problem, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the historical development and the particular characteristics of each context and scale. Having said that, this article proposes a historical review of the food-supply problem in the Yucatan Peninsula: the main elements of the natural environment that provoke it, and how the social environment has implemented different strategies to resolve it, according to the dominant food capacities and interests.