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Assessment of sustainability in production units of Napo province, Ecuadorian Amazon, by the use of indicators

Abstract:

The Ecuadorian Amazon region is one of the most biologically diverse regions of the planet, which is affected by deforestation and the advance of the agricultural frontier into unsustainable farming systems. In this study, sustainability of production units in Arosemena Tola, Napo, Ecuadorian Amazon was evaluated. Potential sustainability was assessed at farm scale in 10 production units (PU) by applying a methodology based on scoring system that included environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political indicators. The average rate of sustainability presented the following order: environmental dimension (6.99) > socio- cultural dimension (6.43) > political dimension (4.55) > economic dimension (4.39), which were classified as high, moderate, or low sustainability. The findings suggest that sustainability of each PU presents critical levels in each dimension, where economic and political dimensions are the most limited. The lowest scoring indicators are: a) number of agro-ecological practices, b) diversification of crops c) productive activities), d) level of erosion, e), family labor, f) management capacity, g) production level, h) net incomes, i) costs of inputs, j) cost of hand labor, k) marketing strategy, l) saving strategy, m) financing of production, n) institutional support, and o) programs related to the production unit.