ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impacts of free trade agreements on groundwater use and management by ideal producers within Mexican irrigation districts. Although irrigation had been the largest single item in agricultural budgets over the previous six decades, most of the money had been channeled into extension of irrigation. United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and binational water quality and supply issues threaten the source of high-quality irrigation water in Mexicali. Apart from NAFTA, other trade agreements, such as Mexico's foreign direct investment (FTA) with Chile, can have specific sectoral impacts on particular crop sectors and producer groups, even while others in the same local region are benefiting from other free trade agreements. Asparagus production is concentrated virtually entirely within the private producer sector, including a large amount of activity from transnational companies. Asparagus has therefore become a conflictive crop within the region because of the presence of transnational companies and other "outsiders" in the asparagus sector.
