Optimización económica para el mejoramiento de la productividad y sostenibilidad de los productores de mora, en la provincia de Cotopaxi.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to propose the economic optimization of blackberry production systems in the province of Cotopaxi to improve productivity and sustainability. The characterization showed that there are two types of blackberry producers that differ from each other. Mainly, by the variables head of the household, price of default, sale to the wholesale intermediary, carrier and sale to the retail intermediary, years that he has been selling to the wholesale intermediary and the retailer. In the province of Cotopaxi, blackberry cultivation and marketing is an important survival strategy for a large number of small farmers, who use traditional production practices and are engaged in the basic post-harvest process. A model was used to develop alternatives that economically optimize the blackberry production systems in the province of Cotopaxi, for which information from 66 surveys was used, which served as the basis for applying a linear programming model. Producers maximize their profits from $ 1,661 USD yr-1 in the implementation and maintenance cycle, to $ 5,700 USD yr-1 in the maintenance (productivity) cycle. In the case of the first cycle, when the price increased from $ 0.95 USD to $ 1.19 USD and from $ 0.95 USD to $ 0.71 USD, profits increased and decreased by 41%, respectively. In the case of the second cycle, when the price increased from 0.95 USD to 1.19 USD, the benefits increased by 109%; on the other hand, when the price decreased from $ 0.95 USD to $ 0.71 USD, profits decreased by 104%. The results indicate that the technologies generated by INIAP are economically viable and sustainable alternatives to improve the income of producers, so it is recommended to implement them in the field.