development in mexico

http://www.ifad.org/evaluation/public_html/eksyst/doc/prj/region/pl/mexico/r270mebe.htm#I.%20INTRODUCTION
I. INTRODUCTION

The Ixtlera region is a semi-arid area covering 155 000 square kilometres in north-eastern Mexico, spanning parts of the states of San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas (the last three share a border with the United States). The region is home to industrial cities and high-yielding agricultural and mining areas, as well as to poor, marginalized communities whose productive resources are limited owing to the scarce supply of water.

The interim evaluation mission for the Development Project for Marginal Rural Communities in the Ixtlera Region (also known as the "Ixtlera project") conducted its field work from 5 to 30 October 1998. The mission used an evaluation methodology based on a representative sample. Eighty-nine of the 828 communities served by the project were visited; they were selected on a random basis and were spread acro...