Agroecological management for the restoration of soil quality

Abstract

In the Agro-ecological Center “Las Cañadas” located in Huatusco, Veracruz, the agro-ecological management of production systems has been implemented for approximately 20 years, as an alternative to the negative effects caused by conventional agriculture; however, the beneficial effect and the magnitude with which each of these systems has contributed to the restoration of soil quality since its implementation is unknown. In the present work, the current state of the quality of the soil of the different agroecological production systems, as well as of the natural forest through its chemical and physical properties and the diagnosis of the state of soil fertility for crop production, were assessed. Composite soil samples were taken from the ten production systems, as well as from two areas of restored and natural vegetation, to determine their chemical and physical properties, the local inputs used in the fertilizer of the crops were also chemically characterized. In general, ecological production systems; through the addition of local organic matter, minimal tillage of the soil and complementary additions of inputs have contributed to the regeneration of the natural quality of the soil in its chemical properties, but the recycling of nutrients from local inputs is insufficient to cover the nutritional needs of crops for optimal production. Agroecological management has also contributed to the fact that physical properties such as microporosity, usable humidity and stable aggregates have managed to reach the original level in the soil.