Exploratory study of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) as a productive activity in the Mexicali valley, Mexico
Keywords:
alfalfa producers; surveys; forage; research; production.Abstract
Currently, the regional production of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in the Mexicali Valley stands as one of the main agricultural and economic activities. Considered the queen of forage crops, alfalfa production in the Baja California area has crossed borders, positioning itself as one of the main export products. However, information about the productive aspects is limited. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to carry out an analysis of the productive activity of alfalfa production systems in the Mexicali Valley based on semi-structured surveys. The study was carried out in the agricultural area of the Mexicali Valley, where 13 production units distributed among six communal farms were visited; producers were personally surveyed. The analyzes revealed that the CUF-101 variety has remained the main one throughout all production units; the availability of water is the main limitation faced by farmers and they highlighted the importance of water for their development and production in the state. Therefore, the production units of the alfalfa systems need to be reassessed, analyzed and explored for a better development and use of the resource in Baja California.
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