Evaluación de la sostenibilidad de sistemas de producción hotícola pequeños y medianos de la parroquia San Joaquín del cantón Cuenca

Abstract

Horticultural production has been poorly characterized in terms of its agronomic, economic and social components, limiting its understanding and analysis in order to find points for improvement. Likewise, the complexity and multidimensionality of sustainability make it necessary to turn complex aspects into clear, general and objective values, called indicators. The inputs and services used in plant production represent an energy cost, depending on these factors and the productivities obtained, the conversion of production into energy will determine the energy efficiency of the system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of small and medium-scale horticultural production systems in the San Joaquin parish of Cuenca, using sustainability indicators established by Altieri and Nicholls (2002) and Funes (2009). The methodology adopted included the gathering of information through surveys conducted in a direct interview with horticultural producers. The results showed that horticultural farms exceed the threshold of soil and crop sustainability with values of 7.79 and 5.84 respectively, however there are indicators that showed a deficit, such as the surrounding natural diversity where 97% of farms have values <5 below the threshold of sustainability, and therefore require management to improve them. In the horticultural systems of San Joaquín 98% have an energy efficiency > 1. The crops that presented the highest annual EfE were garlic (7.71) and carrot (5.35). In conclusion, in the San Joaquín parish, the evaluated farms show a tendency toward sustainability and good energy efficiency.