U.S. Water News Online
RANCHO PIEDRAS, Mexico -- The worst drought in half a century has both farmers and ranchers in Mexico -- not unlike their counterparts in the American Southwest -- struggling to survive against terrible odds.
But south of the border, the suffering is often greater. Small farms still prevail over big agribusiness here, and the social safety net is much weaker than in the United States.
Independent estimates indicate Mexican crop and cattle losses could reach more than $1 billion. The Mexican government has allocated $157 million in drought relief.
Still, many are just scraping by. "There is no water. There is no rain anymore," said cattle rancher Bruno Trevino, whose herd has been drastically reduced and now survives on whatever cactus they can find.
>From the air, large swaths of Mexico's northern countryside look like a gray moonscape of burned-out corn and grain fields. Only the green cactus and mesquite trees provide contrast.
"The drought is the worst since 1953. It is very harsh, very severe," said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Labastida Ochoa.
The drought began three years ago. This year, Mexico has received an average of only 2 inches of rain, 77 percent below normal. The north has had much less, and many areas have had none.
Ochoa said 98 million acres of grazing land, mostly in northern Mexico, have stopped growing grass and many cattle have lost 60 to 100 pounds. Some 1.6 million acres of prime farmland have gone idle.
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