Rural vulnerability: viticulture as an opportunity for rural development in the state of Chihuahua

Abstract

In Chihuahua, the wine industry has been on the rise in recent years, with an increase in the labor force, which in turn has given women the opportunity to become part of the world of wine, from field work to marketing and/or production. In addition to providing job opportunities for women, it also generates employment for men, improving the economy of rural families, who, in turn, are often vulnerable to government policies, an example of which is the pandemic caused by the coronavirus in 2020, which, in addition to the deaths it caused, caused economic losses in the countryside and in the wine industry due to the drop in sales. Therefore, the concern arises to know the areas of opportunity that exist in the viticulture of the state of Chihuahua in terms of the post-pandemic. To this end, research was conducted through face-to-face surveys with wine producers in the state. It was found that women in Chihuahua have a high level of power in viticulture, since they are involved in the viticulture, since they participate in most of the links in the production and commercialization of grapes. It was also observed that despite the long pandemic that was experienced as a result of the Covid-19 virus, jobs in viticulture were not affected. It is important to continue promoting the development of the wine industry to improve the rural, state and national economy.