The Conasupo-Coplamar System

Food, Hunger, and Poverty in Mexico, 1977–1983

Abstract

Mexico has a long-standing tradition of public policies aimed at addressing poverty and social marginalization through rural and food development programs, ranging from the early wheat and corn supply committees to current strategies such as Alimentación para el Bienestar (2025). These efforts constitute a little-explored history of food supply policies implemented by successive governments, linked to the ideal of social welfare through adequate nutrition and access to basic food products. The creation of such policies was not a spontaneous process but rather the result of an interaction between national needs and the recommendations of international organizations, particularly the FAO. In 1977, this organization raised global awareness about hunger and malnutrition levels, urging developing countries to adopt measures to achieve food self-sufficiency. In response, the Mexican government designed the Conasupo-Coplamar System (1977–1983), a public policy focused on supplying marginalized areas that coordinated the efforts of Conasupo and Coplamar to distribute basic food products and organize rural communities. This article analyzes that system as one of the most significant food policies implemented by the Mexican State during the second half of the twentieth century, contrasting its discourse on equitable access to a healthy diet with the realities of managing hunger and poverty in Indigenous and peasant territories. Through the analysis of contemporary press sources and official documents, the study reconstructs its implementation, institutional framework, and social and territorial impacts