Impacto económico, social y ambiental de la producción de maíz en el cantón Pindal, período 2000 - 2020

Abstract

Abstract: Corn production, due to its intensification in the Pindal canton, has generated its own productive matrix, intertwining with the rest of the activities carried out in the canton. Since the 1990s, it has become the main source of support for families, as well as their axis of development. However, the increase in production has generated social, economic and environmental impacts in the area. The present work evaluates the impacts of corn production in the Pindal canton in the period 2000 to 2020 in the framework of sustainability. To this end, surveys were carried out on 262 corn producers in the canton and their perceptions about corn production and their quality of life were collected. The results show that a large part of the producers perceive that the production of corn is the main source of livelihoods in the canton, but that due to its intensive form of production it has negative effects on the soil, water and biodiversity. For this reason, it is recommended to integrate sustainable and diversified forms of agricultural production, to avoid producers' dependence on a single product and reduce their vulnerability to climate change.