The meanings of the first two concepts often overlap, and during this pre-campaign period—coinciding with the month of national celebration—they have featured prominently in every speech. Yet, in today’s climate, self-sufficiency is the decisive factor upon which the others hinge.
We are certainly a country in every sense of the word, but that does not make us sovereign; one need only ask: what would happen if that troglodyte Trump shut off our grain imports?
Despite much talk about self-sufficiency, our country lacks public policies aimed at achieving it; in fact, the opposite has occurred. We went from being the center of origin for maize to becoming its leading importer; we once ranked third in coffee production, yet now we import the bulk of what we consume—inferior coffees that Nestlé processes into instant coffee for us. These are just two everyday examples.
There are programs—some even enshrined in the Constitution, such as ‘’ Sowing Life’’ (Sembrando Vida), ‘’ Production for Wellbeing’’ (Producción para el Bienestar), ‘’Guaranteed Prices, and Fertilizer Support’’ (Precios de Garantía y Fertilizantes)—but they fail to integrate their respective value chains and lack coordination with one another. Ultimately, it is impossible to derive precise, comprehensive goals for the productive sector from them; they need to be evaluated.
It is useful to make comparisons—to hold up a mirror to ourselves. China has a population of over 1.4 billion and 108 million hectares of productive land. Mexico has 134 million inhabitants and nearly 25 million hectares of productive land. Yet China is virtually self-sufficient, while our country imports its staple foods.
Beyond efficiency and organization, they prioritize planning and the setting of five-year goals. In 1952, Chairman Mao Zedong predicted that fifteen five-year plans would be needed to surpass the United States in production; the 15th five-year plan began in 2026, and China has already overtaken the United States.
Chinese planning is precise and even romantic. Agriculture is a fundamental component of national planning: “Agricultural and rural modernization is vital to the overall situation and quality of China’s modernization. By making the resolution of issues concerning the ‘three rural pillars’—agriculture, rural areas, and farmers—our top priority, we will promote integrated urban-rural development, consolidate and expand the hard-won gains of poverty alleviation, and ensure that rural areas essentially meet the standards of modern living, thereby accelerating the building of a strong agricultural nation.”
The three strategic objectives are:
1. Elevation of the comprehensive productive capacity, quality and profitability of agriculture.
2. Promotion of the formation of an agricultural sector suitable for life and work, harmonious and beautiful.
3. Increasing the efficiency of policies aimed at strengthening the agricultural base, facilitating rural development and promoting a prosperous peasant life.
But, in addition, the Chinese government does put a budget into it.
According to China’s 2026 Central Document No.1, public money is being primarily invested in ensuring food security, bindingly maintaining grain production capacity, agricultural technology and automation, and full coverage subsidies, among others.
By 2026, the year that inaugurates its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), focused on agricultural modernization and food security, the overall expenditure budget of China’s central government amounts to $4.3 trillion. Of this, between eight and ten percent is dedicated to the development of agriculture, that is, 7.74 billion Mexican pesos, very close to the total budget that Mexico will have for 2027 (ten billion 636 thousand 488.1 million pesos, of which 1.13 percent is dedicated to agriculture).
Certainly, we have the National Development Plan 2025-2030, which contains four fairly general strategic objectives. Sader has to review its plans and aim for self-sufficiency as a priority. But, above all, make multi-year planning and address it in a comprehensive and sustainable way, considering its inequalities, of course, with the real participation of the actors.
The author, Arturo García Jinénez, is the Advisor to the National Coordinator of Ejidos and Communities.
Original article by Arturo García Jinénez, La Jornada, September 27th, 2026.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.