The Agriculturization of the Deser. State, Irrigation and Agriculture in Northern Mexico (1925-1970)

Expanding markets, technologies with their origins in the second industrial revolution, pressing government needs, and what might be called state policy made possible the construction of large irrigation systems during the post-revolutionary period in Mexico. This led to the expansion of the agricultural frontier by millions of hectares during the 20th century. This study examines the plans that led to the construction of these irrigation systems in the north of the country, a multiregional space that comprises about 60 percent of Mexican territory, and whose main characteristic is its aridity.