Tren Maya project

This report aims to analyze the main issues of Tramo 1 of the Tren Maya project in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, by including a review of how municipalities located along the train route will be affected by its implementation and which opportunities the train can bring to those areas.

After evaluating the existing assets of Tramo 1 within the adapted Sustainable Livelihood Framework, the paper concluded that the Tren Maya project is a crucial transforming process that has a great potential to reduce poverty by providing jobs, empowering local people, and developing tourism in those municipalities.

The government’s role should not be neglected in intensifying opportunities that the Tren Maya can bring, which can be achieved by providing basic services and infrastructures and tourism marketing. In addition, that is the responsibility of the government to secure land tenures and intensify the simultaneous social programmes like Sembrando Vida to reduce poverty with combined solutions.

Four municipalities: Palenque, Tenosique, Balancán, Candelaria.

The four municipalities in Tramo 1 are significantly poorer than the national average poverty rate of 35%. The impoverished condition of people in Tramo 1 is also seen by the lack of access to basic services like sewerage, water provision, and electricity, compared to the national average. Many informal sectors characterize the economic condition in the Tramo 1 because the majority of them work in the agriculture sector and MSMEs.

This research adapts the Sustainable Livelihood Framework by Department for International Development (DFID) (1999) to see how the Tren Maya supports poverty alleviation. The framework begins with the identification of vulnerability factors of the poor and what assets they have as a potential for poverty reduction. Besides, there is the transformation processes and structures that influence the livelihood strategies, such as how the poor manage their assets in order to achieve better living conditions. The transformation process is the implementation of the Tren Maya by the national government.

1. Identifying vulnerability:

• Seasonal factor like weather that creates flood and drought leads to capital loss and unemployment at certain period.

• Illegal migration from Guatemala borders that leads to conflicts and environment degradation (illegal logging).

• Political uncertainty when the administration changes that affected both the Tren Maya project and the poor people.

2. Identifying current development of the four capitals in the region:

• Human capital is essential for achieving economic growth, improving output levels, and decreasing pay inequalities.

• Illegal migration from Guatemala borders that leads to conflicts and environment degradation (illegal logging).

• Natural capital refers to the natural resources that supply humans with valued commodities and services.

• Physical capital includes the fundamental infrastructure and the equipment that people can utilise, such as transportation and communication networks.

• Social capital is an important component for societies to function properly by having established procedures of citizens’ relationships.

3.Transforming construction: Tren Maya infrastructure:

4.Developing strategies:

• Developing sustainable tourism like ecotourism, adventurous and archeological tourism targeted local markets and special interest tourists.

• Government support for tourism marketing and branding (vocational training and capacity building program).

• Intensifying Sembrando Vida programme to protect environment.

• Providing basic infrastructures (transport, sanitation, water).

• Robust land regulation and the system of monitoring ejidos (communal land).

5.Potential outcomes: Creating a sustainable community in Tramo 1 in various aspects:

Economic benefits

• Tramo 1 will make these regions more accessible to tourists and generate more income from tourism.

• Tren Maya can help Tramo 1 alleviate poverty: create more job opportunities and boost revenue from agriculture (people can transport and sell their products efficiently and easily).

Social and environmental benefits

• Sembrando Vida program can bring social support, poverty reduction, and individuals’ empowerment to enhance productivity and well-being. It also prevents environmental degradation by processing reforestation.

• The program can accelerate and cooperate with the effectiveness of Tren Maya and promote inclusive growth.