Evaluación y desarrollo de propuestas para mejorar la sostenibilidad del sistema de producción de la familia Bentancur: profundización del enfoque agroecológico

The current model of intensive production established since the second half of the twentieth century has proved insufficient to ensure the sustainability of productive systems in the medium and long term, putting food security at risk at local, regional and global levels. Organic farming is one of the most sustainable alternatives to counteract the weaknesses of the current model, Focusing on understanding the underlying natural processes of ecosystems and using them in balance with human needs for food production and other products. This work aims to develop proposals for the redesign of the production systems in order to accompany and collaborate towards the agroecological transition of the system under study, focusing on the co-innovation process.

In section 4.1, the system under study was characterized in detail, describing its location, composition, roles and objectives. The production system was then described, and it allowed us to understand the magnitude of the system, its limits, its biophysical and socio-economic characteristics, providing a clear picture of the factors to be considered for subsequent diagnosis.

In section 4.2, the site was evaluated against six defined ecological processes (nutrient cycle, carbon cycle, biotic regulation and plant succession, water cycle, energy flow, socio-economic and cultural) using the MEDITAE framework as an assessment tool, and to establish positive (strengths) and negative (weaknesses) critical points of the system. The system performance was evaluated as good, with the socio-economic, hydrological, biotic regulation and carbon cycle processes being the strengths; and the nutrient and energy cycle ones being the least performing and with greater opportunities for improvement.

In section 4.3, two proposals for redesign were developed and evaluated theoretically, based on three logics: (i) stabilize the cultivated area without loss of production volume; (ii) plan balanced rotations to reduce nutrient imbalances and weed control, and (iii) define and plan the management of semi-natural areas between productive zones.

Chapter 5 discusses the results and evaluation of work carried out at each stage of the process. The discussion focuses on four main themes, (i) contributions of work to agro-ecological improvement of the system, (ii) knowledge gaps and work biases, (iii) the MEDITAE framework as a tool for evaluating socio-ecological processes, and (iv) Contributions towards knowledge building to promote agro-ecological systems in the country.