Low Female Food Production in Playa del Carmen Study Finds

Diagnosis Reveals Low Capacity for Female-Led Food Production in Playa del Carmen

A study promoted by Amexme and UQROO revealed the low local production of food led by women in Playa del Carmen and the need to strengthen these ventures to advance toward food sovereignty.

A diagnosis developed over six months by the Mexican Association of Women Entrepreneurs (Amexme), Riviera Maya Chapter, in coordination with the Autonomous University of the State of Quintana Roo (UQROO), showed that Playa del Carmen has a limited capacity for local food production led by women, which keeps the municipality highly dependent on supplies from other municipalities and states in the country.

This was reported by Valeria Rindertsma, president of Amexme Riviera Maya, when presenting the final results of the research program, whose objective was to analyze the network of food production led by women in the municipality and its relationship with local food sovereignty.

According to the diagnosis, most of the food consumed in Playa del Carmen is not produced in the municipality itself, a situation that, according to the study results, represents a structural risk for advancing toward a model of food sovereignty. The analysis concludes that the existing productive capacity is reduced and that it is necessary to decisively incentivize local food production, particularly from ventures headed by women.

The program had the active participation of UQROO students, who were in charge of data collection, identification of producers, information analysis, and the development of the diagnosis, under the coordination of researcher Susana Medina. This work allowed mapping part of the female food production network operating in the municipality, as well as its main limitations and areas of opportunity.

During the process, various women food producers interested in strengthening their ventures were identified. In total, eight producers expressed interest in participating in the training sessions that were part of the program, which was not limited to diagnostic research but included a training component to improve the viability of productive projects.

In this second stage, Amexme Riviera Maya provided business training aimed at equipping producers with tools for the management, administration, and development of their businesses, with the goal of enabling them to better face the economic and operational challenges involved in producing food in a municipality with high costs and strong external dependency.

Once the program concluded, the results of the diagnosis will be delivered to the organization Citizens for Transparency, which will follow up on the study with the intention that the information gathered can influence future actions and public policy proposals. According to what was presented, these inputs could be linked to strategies contemplated in the Quintana Roo State Development Plan, particularly in the axes related to sustainable development, food, and sustainability.

The president of Amexme Riviera Maya stated that the expectation is that this diagnosis will serve as a technical basis to promote actions that strengthen local food production, reduce dependency on other territories, and generate collective benefits for Playa del Carmen in the medium and long term.