Part of the introduction: In México, one of the most agriculturally-based countries in the Americas, there is a growing tendency among rural farmers to promote a new type of rurality. This new approach aims to solve their ecological, economic and social problems through actions that encourage a de-growth instead of a sustainable growth in development. In this essay I aim to contribute to an understanding of the ways in which the agroecological cooperative Las Cañadas redefined the goals of twenty-two small producers in Veracruz, México. In an effort to improve their livelihoods, they shifted their methods of food production during a time in the 90s in which the country faced a backdrop of challenges including the opening of markets and institutional reforms. This is primarily an empirical essay, intended to
present collected data on the cooperative during the period of 1996-2012.

Contribution to the 3rd International Degrowth Conference for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity in Venice in 2012.