Assessment of the sustainability of tomato (Solanaceae: Solanum lycopersicum, L) and bell pepper (Solanaceae: Capsicum annum, L) production in Matagalpa

Abstract

Background: Vegetables represent an important part of the economy of our country, they are high-risk items, given their high cost of production and their market instability. This study focused on evaluating the sustainability of 33 farms by comparing them with alternative management systems. Methodology: The evaluation was carried out applying the framework for the evaluation of natural resource management systems incorporating indicators, MESMIS, composed of the variables productivity, stability, adaptability, equity and self-reliance, the data was collected through the application of a semi-structured survey, in which 19 sustainability indicators were measured. Results: the results show that globally the 33 farms of the associates, reflected percentages between 29 and 59% of scores, indicating that they are systems with transition towards sustainability or moderately sustainable. The indicators that marked the best scores were yields (50%), labor (50%), integration of new agricultural practices (50%), frequency of training (48%), relationship with people, gender equality and low indebtedness. Among the lowest indicators of these horticultural systems we find soil and water conservation (10%), positions held in the organization of the cooperative (15%), fair prices (15%) and high dependence on inputs (10%).  Conclusion: In the comparison of indicators between the systems of the cooperative members with a reference system, we find that all the indicators are surpassed between 37.5% and 80%, only the alternative systems are surpassed by the reference one in the organization indicator.