Interview: Fabiola Pozos Hernández, Production Assistant at Agricola Chaparral

Like other people from the state of Oaxaca, Fabiola Pozos at age 21 decided to migrate to the state of Sinaloa to work as a day laborer, but unlike many of them, her main motivation was to enter the Faculty of Agronomy of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS).

Now, he is part of the team of Agricola Chaparral, like auxiliary in production, playing in the area that always interested him, “agriculture”.

1. How did you decide to migrate to Sinaloa?

My dad arrived here 25 years ago, he had to migrate to Sinaloa because in Oaxaca there is very little work. A while later my mother and some of my brothers came.

My parents always supported me financially to cover the expenses of my studies in Oaxaca. When I left high school I had the opportunity to study the Tourism career right there.

However, it never filled me completely because what I was interested in was agriculture and the only option was the Autonomous University of Chapingo, in Mexico City.

It was when I chose to come to Sinaloa, like the rest of my family, to work and study what I wanted.

2. Who were your main support during the university?

It was my brothers who encouraged me to study agronomy and supported me throughout the race.

In fact, my parents never agreed that I studied agronomy, because they said that it was a race for men and very heavy.

I overcame and continued because I wanted to learn about the management of the plant, about the production processes and my interest grew when I get to work as a day laborer because I could see directly how the plant is born and the fruit develops. Every day my interest grew.

3. Did you receive any support from Agrícola Chaparral during your studies?

Yes, Chaparral farm offered support to my mother to cover transportation costs. I never applied for a scholarship, but they helped me.

4. Could you talk a little bit about your professional experience?

When I arrived in Sinaloa, I worked as a day laborer in the Chaparral Farm, so that I could cover the expenses of my studies. When I entered the university, I began to complicate the schedules and I decided to work only on Saturdays and Sundays.

I could enter the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP) to do my professional practices, supporting the experimental fields of the Commission for Research and Defense of Vegetables (IACHR) with Dr. Valenzuela I learned Evaluate the seeds of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

We analyzed their sizes, colors, shapes and helped the seed companies to plant and prepare them for the experimental field and show them at the Expo Agro.

All the knowledge I gained during my stay in the experimental field of the IACHR has been very useful for my current work in Agricola Chaparral.

5. What role do you currently play in Agricola Chaparral?

I am Production Assistant, I oversee everything related to the management of the plant and the control of the workers in the field.

6. What was the biggest obstacle you had to go through during the entire process of your study?

It was leaving my family in Oaxaca, it was the hardest thing for me.

From my childhood, my parents came to Sinaloa and left me with my grandmother and a sister, they were the people that basically raised me. I would have liked to study in Oaxaca, however, the opportunities there, especially to study, are very few. I knew that if I came to Sinaloa I could study and work.

I knew it was a difficult decision, that Sinaloa is very far from Oaxaca, but here were my parents and brothers too, I take the risk and because here we are getting ahead.

7. From your opinion, how has the quality of life of day laborers in Sinaloa improved?

It has improved a lot. Personally, I did not have to live here since I was a child, but my brothers grew up here and they tell me how things have changed in an important way.

When they were boys I had to accompany my parents to the camp, they did not work, however, they could not stay in the shelters for all the dangers that that represented and there were no nurseries at that time.

Now children have all the facilities to study that they did not have before, they did not have the opportunity to study for those reasons.

Nowadays, they can see how they are supported with supplies, uniforms, transportation, food, nurseries. The one who does not study now is because he does not want to.

8. Does your family still work in Agricola Chaparral?

Yes, my dad is now in charge of the hold. In addition, I have 3 brothers working here: my brother César is the operator of the nurses and the social workers, another of my sisters works in the dining room of the company and one more works as an intendant in one of the schools.

9. After all you’ve accomplished, what’s next for you?

I still aspire to many things. Since I started this race I have the illusion of being a “grower”.

I like my work, but I would like to continue learning new things, to focus more on production and not on handling.

Someday I would like to have my own land, if it is not here in Oaxaca, but in that case, I would already take all the bases and the knowledge that I have acquired here.

10. Would you like to share a message to all those day laborers or day laborers who have such a concern about studying a career?

I would say that agriculture is very beautiful from the point of view that you see, is the reason we all have something to eat.

Times have changed and the population is increasing so we have to look for new alternatives to produce, this can be a motivation for all of them.

“I knew it was a difficult decision, that Sinaloa is very far from Oaxaca, but here were my parents and brothers too, take my chances and then we are going ahead.”