Socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of rainfed maize production systems

Abstract

The work was carried out in the state of Campeche through surveys with rainfed maize producers to describe the technological, management, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the production systems. Two multivariate analysis techniques were used to reduce and classify the information. For the environmental analysis, a sustainable agricultural aptitude index was generated with information on the physical-chemical characteristics of the soil. The results indicated that 65.5% of the producers that were interviewed used the conventional system for the production of rainfed maize, and although they were located in areas with an agricultural vocation, differences in technification and socioeconomic differences were identified. The other 34.5% of producers use minimal tillage and were located in areas with a livestock vocation. Despite the fact that the sustainable agricultural aptitude index placed 71% of the producers within the moderate category, it is necessary to implement strategies to minimize the extraction of nutrients in the soil since the producers pay very little when applying doses below the recommended. Negative values were obtained in the indicator of anaerobic potential mineralization of nitrogen associated with soil fertility in the two predominant soil groups Leptosols with -14.7 and Vertisols with -27.9.