Bi-National Business Linkages Associated with Fresh Produce and Production-Sharing: Foundations and Opportunities for Nogales and Santa Cruz County

Abstract

With expanding NAFTA trade, increasing economic globalization, and rising significance of border location, the identity of the Nogales, Arizona, community has been profoundly challenged. For the last three decades Nogales grapples with questions like: What role does Nogales play in this increasing economic relationship between Arizona and Sonora, and within the entire North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region at large? But most of all, the question arises as to how to capitalize on all those developments – increasing trade and global connectivity – to enhance the community’s growth while improving the quality of life. Those who remember Nogales 30 years ago must admit that the city and its surrounding areas have experienced tremendous physical development. Statistical data, however, consistently indicate that the city and county lag behind the national and state’s growth trends suggesting an intricate combination of local and global factors at play.