Evaluación y planificación de sistemas agroforestales sustentables de cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) y bambú (Guadua angustifolia K.), Montalvo, Ecuador

Abstract

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is one of the main crops of Ecuador; nevertheless, the production systems must be evaluated under the concepts of sustainability, which emphasize the integral management and association between the components that can intervene favorably, such as Guadua (Guadua angustifolia K.), non-timber species which can be used in the establishment of agroforestry systems with cocoa. The research was carried out on the production systems of organic cocoa, conventional cocoa and guadua in Montalvo, Province of Los Rios-Ecuador, for which multicriteria methodology was used (Sarandón et al., 2006); evaluation indicators were constructed for the Ecological, Economic and Social dimensions. The systems of organic cocoa and conventional cocoa were not sustainable in the evaluation of the ecological dimension, pointing out as a particular indicator the storage of Carbon, both for the variables of Biomass and Soil. The crops studied present production systems of monoculture type and none present agroforestry designs, so a design composed of cocoa as the main crop, Caoba (Swietenia macrophylla K.) as timber species, Guaba (Inga edulis M.) is proposed as fruit species, Centrosema (Centrosema macrocarpum B.) as a species of cover and soil protection and Guadua as a species of living barrier particularly in organic cocoa; thus, the generation and corroboration of allometric formulas for the species specific to the area under study is also considered.