Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala
The Western Highlands of Guatemala are dominated by small-scale farming in indigenous communities. Mountain conditions and overpopulation have led to expansion of the agricultural frontier with consequent degradation, decreasing yields, poverty and malnutrition. Several non-government organizations...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2020-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1770152 |
| _version_ | 1797681136838639616 |
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| author | Carlos E. González-Esquivel Eleonora Camacho-Moreno Lourdes Larrondo-Posadas Carlos Sum-Rojas Willian Erik de León-Cifuentes Eduardo Vital-Peralta Marta Astier Santiago López-Ridaura |
| author_facet | Carlos E. González-Esquivel Eleonora Camacho-Moreno Lourdes Larrondo-Posadas Carlos Sum-Rojas Willian Erik de León-Cifuentes Eduardo Vital-Peralta Marta Astier Santiago López-Ridaura |
| author_sort | Carlos E. González-Esquivel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Western Highlands of Guatemala are dominated by small-scale farming in indigenous communities. Mountain conditions and overpopulation have led to expansion of the agricultural frontier with consequent degradation, decreasing yields, poverty and malnutrition. Several non-government organizations (NGO) have carried out interventions to rescue the milpa system and diversify farming systems. We used the Framework for the Evaluation of Management Systems using Indicators (MESMIS) to evaluate farm sustainability after such interventions. We analysed data from four participating NGOs, interviewing 50 farmers with several years of collaboration as alternative systems, and 50 farmers of recent incorporation as reference systems. A trend towards moderate improvements was found in yields, food availability and reduced losses due to pests, diseases and climatic events. Given the environmental conditions and farm size it seems unlikely that most farms could achieve food self-sufficiency. In some cases, the increase in yields and food security correlate with a higher external input dependence. Even with agroecological interventions, external inputs might be needed. Direct indicators need to be measured in future studies for soil quality and erosion control. Even though the study cases showed regional differences, it was possible to develop a common, robust group of indicators, along with some case-specific ones. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:40:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01adbbd292014be588ea008ae338a1a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:40:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-01adbbd292014be588ea008ae338a1a92023-09-19T15:22:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2020-07-0118428529910.1080/14735903.2020.17701521770152Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of GuatemalaCarlos E. González-Esquivel0Eleonora Camacho-Moreno1Lourdes Larrondo-Posadas2Carlos Sum-Rojas3Willian Erik de León-Cifuentes4Eduardo Vital-Peralta5Marta Astier6Santiago López-Ridaura7Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoInstituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoInstituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoProyecto Buenamilpa. Carretera a OlintepequeDivisión de Ciencia y Tecnología, Carrera de Agronomía, Centro Universitario Occidente, Universidad de San Carlos de GuatemalaDivisión de Ciencia y Tecnología, Carrera de Agronomía, Centro Universitario Occidente, Universidad de San Carlos de GuatemalaCentro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCentro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT)The Western Highlands of Guatemala are dominated by small-scale farming in indigenous communities. Mountain conditions and overpopulation have led to expansion of the agricultural frontier with consequent degradation, decreasing yields, poverty and malnutrition. Several non-government organizations (NGO) have carried out interventions to rescue the milpa system and diversify farming systems. We used the Framework for the Evaluation of Management Systems using Indicators (MESMIS) to evaluate farm sustainability after such interventions. We analysed data from four participating NGOs, interviewing 50 farmers with several years of collaboration as alternative systems, and 50 farmers of recent incorporation as reference systems. A trend towards moderate improvements was found in yields, food availability and reduced losses due to pests, diseases and climatic events. Given the environmental conditions and farm size it seems unlikely that most farms could achieve food self-sufficiency. In some cases, the increase in yields and food security correlate with a higher external input dependence. Even with agroecological interventions, external inputs might be needed. Direct indicators need to be measured in future studies for soil quality and erosion control. Even though the study cases showed regional differences, it was possible to develop a common, robust group of indicators, along with some case-specific ones.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1770152agroecologysustainabilityfood securityguatemalamesmis |
| spellingShingle | Carlos E. González-Esquivel Eleonora Camacho-Moreno Lourdes Larrondo-Posadas Carlos Sum-Rojas Willian Erik de León-Cifuentes Eduardo Vital-Peralta Marta Astier Santiago López-Ridaura Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability agroecology sustainability food security guatemala mesmis |
| title | Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala |
| title_full | Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala |
| title_fullStr | Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala |
| title_short | Sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Guatemala |
| title_sort | sustainability of agroecological interventions in small scale farming systems in the western highlands of guatemala |
| topic | agroecology sustainability food security guatemala mesmis |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1770152 |
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