Sustainability evaluation in corn and peanut production systems in the province of Loja, Ecuador

Abstract

Current food and agricultural systems have managed to supply large volumes of food to world markets, however, the intensive use of resources and a high contribution of external inputs have led to massive deforestation, water shortages, loss of biodiversity, depletion of the soil, and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The main objective of this research consisted of evaluating the sustainability of the peanut and corn production systems in the neighborhoods of the Casanga parish of the Paltas canton of the province of Loja-Ecuador, by conducting an agroecological diagnosis using the evaluation framework MESMIS evaluation system (Evaluation Methodology Management Systems for Sustainability Indicators). The results obtained indicate that when referring to the analysis by neighborhood, those with the highest averages for optimizing the factors that influence production systems are: Guaypirá with 80% and Zapotepamba with 72%. On the other hand, it can be affirmed that the neighborhoods that most influence the production systems for having better indicators are: Buena Esperanza, La Sota, and Zapotepamba with 6 each, Macandamine and Sabanilla with 5, Casanga and Guaypirá with 4, and El Naranjo with 3. The sustainability indicators that have the greatest influence, classified on a scale of greater or lesser importance, on the production systems of the neighborhoods of the Casanga parish, are the practices of soil conservation, water availability, and development of roots and soil cover of the farm.