Identificación de limitantes y problemas asociados a la adopción de cultivos de servicio en la agricultura

In recent years, at the national level there has been a change in the agricultural model that has resulted in negative impacts, such as the increase in soil erosion. Based on the national regulations of the Soil Use and Management Plan, efforts have been made to reverse this trend by promoting more sustainable agricultural practices. Among them are service crops, which aim to reduce the amount of time that soil is uncovered. Despite the benefits that technology provides, its use has not been widespread. For this reason, this thesis sought to identify the main limitations that farmers in the country face in adopting service crops. Through three research techniques, a survey (96 respondents), discussion groups (3 groups, 14 participants) and semi-structured interviews (6 interviewees), in which producers and technicians participated, information was collected that allowed characterizing the agricultural systems. of the Central and South Coastal area of ​​the country, identifying internal and external factors that affect the adoption of service crops. In this way, it can be said that currently there is a predominance of agricultural-livestock production systems, in areas that average more than 1000 ha, with a large percentage under lease and with a management approach that prioritizes economic benefit. This last aspect is one of the main limitations for adoption, since it is considered that service cultivation does not provide economic rent and generates expenses. Another challenge for the adoption can be attributed to failures in dissemination, associated with the fact that the final recipients are not representative of national agriculture or that the empirical experience of the producers has not been valued. Therefore, strategies for disseminating service crops as a technology should be rethought.