ABSTRACT

The arid and semi-arid lands of northern Mexico, like those elsewhere, truly can be considered fragile. The lands of northern Mexico can be classified according to the type of user and the specific use. Arroyo lands that are dependent on runoff for crop production account for a small proportion of cropland in northern Mexico. Farmers acknowledge that arroyo lands are “better” than those of the river floodplains because the latter, having been cultivated. Arroyo soils are typically pale brown to brown Torripsamments of a loamy sand to sandy loam texture. Generally controlled by the ejido, arroyo lands can be brought under cultivation only by the approval of the agricultural community. Arroyo fields, by virtue of incremental development, are investments that increasingly take on a momentum toward permanence. Perhaps the single greatest contribution that the government could make to facilitate the development of arroyo agriculture involves the financing of the construction of small dams.