Joseph Cotter - Troubled Harvest: Agronomy and Revolution in Mexico, 1880-2002 (Contributions in Latin American Studies)

Cover

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Troubled Harvest

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Agronomy and Revolution in Mexico, 18802002

JOSEPH COTTER

Contributions in Latin American Studies,
Number 22

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cotter, Joseph.
Troubled harvest : agronomy and revolution in Mexico, 18802002/
Joseph Cotter.
p. cm.(Contributions in Latin American studies, ISSN 10546790 ; no.
22)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-313-32515-4 (alk. paper)
1. AgricultureMexicoHistory20th century. 2. Green Revolution
Mexico. 3. AgricultureTechnology transferMexicoHistory20th
century. 4. MexicoSocial conditions20th century. I. Title. II. Series.
S451.7.C68 2003
630.9720904dc21 2002044952

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 2003 by the estate of Joseph Cotter

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002044952

ISBN: 0-313-32515-4

ISSN: 1054-6790

First published in 2003
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881

An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.481984).

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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To Michael, Margaret, Cheryl, and Mary

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In Memoriam
Joseph Eugene Carter

Joe Cotter died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 21, 2002 after a brief illness. He was 46 years old. His family, his friends, his students, his colleagues, and many other people were profoundly shocked and deeply saddened. He was a dynamic teacher, a scholar of considerable achievement and great promise, and delightful company. Losing him cut deep.

Troubled Harvest was near the final stage of production when Joe died. It has been my honor and privilege to work with the publisher to complete the process. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to two colleagues, Jana Sandarg and Eric Perez, for their assistance in translating Spanish terms.

Wayne Mixon
Chair, Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy
Augusta State University

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Like most long research projects that end with a book, mine has a complicated history with several unexpected twists and turns. After finishing my bachelors degree and working for four years in business, I was dissatisfied with my life and sought a new direction. I renewed a daily relationship with an old friend who moved back to San Diego to begin graduate school, and he convinced me that I also missed the environment of academe. My days growing up in southern California and my many trips to Mexico already had stimulated my interest in Mexican culture and society, and I applied to graduate programs in Latin American history. From my travels I learned that Mexico was beautiful and fascinating, but also that many Mexicans lived in abject poverty, especially in rural areas, and I decided to focus on the issue of economic development in the Masters program at the University of California at Santa Barbara (hereafter UCSB).