Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes
2022, Vol. 12, No. 2 e-ISSN: 1390-8146
Published by: Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres
How to cite this article (APA
): Quiñónez, G., Guerrero, B. (2022) Productividad agropecuaria en la zona
norte de la zona norte de la provincia de Esmeraldas - Ecuador, Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria
Investigación y Saberes, 12(2) 109-131
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of
Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Productividad agropecuaria en la zona norte de la provincia de Esmeraldas- Ecuador
Guadalupe E. Quiñonez Monrroy
Master in Business Administration, Bachelor in Business Administration. Teacher at the Technical University
"Luis Vargas Torres" of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, guadalupe.quinonez@utelvt.edu.ec ORCID 0000-0002-3953-
7994
Benito D. Guerrero Arboleda
Master in Business Administration, Bachelor in Business Administration. Teacher at the Technical University
"Luis Vargas Torres" of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, benito.guerrero@utelvt.edu.ec ORCID 0000-0003-1479-991X
In the context of Ecuador's economic and social development, the
agricultural sector plays a fundamental role, and currently presents
different challenges in terms of increasing productivity, so the
purpose of this research is to analyze the factors that influence
agricultural productivity in the northern area of the Province of
Esmeraldas. It was conducted under the quantitative approach, with
a descriptive type of research, the target population of the study were
the producers of Eloy Alfaro Canton, located in Borbón, La Tola and
other parishes, for which a sample of one hundred producers was
considered. The data collection technique was the survey, whose
instrument consists of a questionnaire with a Likert-type scale, the
data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the calculation of
the relative percentage frequency. As a result of the measurements
made in terms of the economic dimension, it was found that most
producers do not invest in crop maintenance and livestock activities,
which results in risky production conditions; while, in the knowledge
dimension, producers do not invest in maintenance or in innovation
and technology, do not know processes and techniques to develop
agricultural activities, do not have the organization and control of the
Abstract
Received 2022-01-02
Revised 2022-01-13
Accepted 2022- 02-12
Published 2022-05-04
Corresponding Author
Guadalupe Quiñonez
guadalupe.quinonez@utelvt.edu.ec
Pages: 109-131
https://creativecommo
ns.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Distributed under
Copyright: © The Author(s)
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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110
processes they carry out, and therefore require training and technical
assistance to increase productivity and be competitive in the market.
Keywords:
factors, productivity, agricultural sector, society, economy.
Resumen
En el contexto del desarrollo económico y social ecuatoriano el sector
agropecuario juega un papel fundamental, en la actualidad presenta
diferentes desafíos en cuanto al incremento de la productividad, por
lo cual el propósito de esta investigación es analizar los factores que
influyen en la productividad agropecuaria en la zona norte de la
Provincia de Esmeraldas. Se realizó bajo el enfoque cuantitativo, con
una investigación de tipo descriptiva, la población objeto de estudio
fueron los productores del Cantón Eloy Alfaro, ubicados en Borbón,
La Tola y en otras parroquias, para lo cual se consideró una muestra
de cien productores. La técnica de recolección de datos fue la
encuesta, cuyo instrumento está conformado por un cuestionario con
escala tipo Likert, los datos se analizaron mediante la estadística
descriptiva, con el cálculo de la frecuencia relativa porcentual. Como
resultado de las mediciones realizadas en función de las dimensión
económica se encontró que la mayoría de los productores no realizan
inversiones en mantenimiento de los cultivos y en la actividad
pecuaria, lo que trae como consecuencia condiciones de riesgo en la
producción; mientras que, en la dimensión de conocimiento, se tiene
que los productores no realizan inversión en mantenimiento, ni en
innovación y tecnología, desconocen procesos y técnicas para
desarrollar las actividades agropecuarias, no llevan la organización y
control de los procesos que realizan por lo que requieren de
capacitación y asistencia técnica para incrementar la productividad y
ser competitivos en el mercado.
Palabras clave:
factors, productivity, agricultural sector, society,
economy.
Introduction
The agricultural sector has played a fundamental role in the economic
and social development of countries, in addition to providing raw
materials and food, it is a source of employment for a significant
number of the population. In this regard, in Latin America, states
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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Rivera, Estrada, Quiñonez and Moreno (2019), most countries are
seeking to boost and improve productivity in this sector, being
essential for local and national development by providing socio-
economic benefits, which influences the growth of the region and its
inclusion in the international economic scenario.
In Ecuador, according to Pino, Aguilar, Apolo and Sisalema (2018),
the domestic food demand is 95% covered by the agricultural sector,
a considerable percentage of the economically active population
(EAP) is engaged in agricultural production, especially unskilled, The
commercialization of products is quite favorable, becoming an
important foreign exchange generating sector, with a contribution to
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to Carrión and Garzón
(2020), of 7.81%, who by means of the multiple linear regression
method analyzed the time series data from 2002 to 2019 obtained
from the Central Bank of Ecuador. Likewise, Bucaram and Quinde
(2018), highlight that it is an important sector in food supply being
this a fundamental principle in food security, established as public
policy in the country.
Productivity is an indicator that expresses, according to Felsinger and
Runzaque (2002), how the resources of an economy are being used
for the production of goods and services. Thus, it can be considered
as the relationship that exists between resources and the product
obtained, where different factors such as human resources, capital,
land, innovation, technology, among others, and the efficiency of
these in generating or producing a good are involved.
In this sense, it is evident that in the Ecuadorian context the
agricultural sector has undergone certain transformations that have
led it to increase its productivity through the incorporation of
technology, strengthening the importance that the sector's activity
has had, as referred to by Rivera et al. (2019) it is necessary to promote
processes and activities that allow reaching high levels of productivity
at the national level, satisfy demand and minimize or substitute
imports to a certain extent. It should be noted that this research is
framed in the linkage project of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of
the Technical University "Luis Vargas Torres" of Esmeraldas entitled
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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"Improvement of agricultural productivity in the rural parish Borbón
of the Eloy Alfaro canton" which was executed by the Animal
Husbandry Engineering Career with the collaboration of the Forestry
Engineering and Agronomy Engineering careers.
Within this framework, the Ecuadorian State has set among its
strategic objectives the incentive of production at the national level,
to achieve productivity and be competitive, and at the same time,
achieve regional integration. For Rivera et al. (2019) the achievement
of these objectives is based on productive technification, focused on
adding value to production, on knowledge and innovation, "import
substitution; as well as the effective and adequate orientation of state
resources and work; bringing with it a further local development of
provinces and cantons and parishes" (p.243).
In this regard, Egas, Shik, Inurritegui and De Salvo (2018) point out
that the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries
(MAGAP, 2016) as of 2012 had a recovery process and addressed
agricultural policy from several approaches, including
democratization of access to land, water, seeds, credits and other
inputs, promoting technical assistance, training, technology,
production and agricultural import substitution. However,
implementation was affected by different aspects, including
limitations in the operational capacity of institutions, insufficient
resources due to the slowdown in economic activity in 2016.
As of 2017, the authors add, the initiative called "Gran Minga
Agropecuaria" was presented, containing nine lines of action, such as
the provision of irrigation, supply or replacement of equipment,
agricultural credits, insurance, technical assistance and training,
among others, however, a document defining how to implement this
policy was not created.
On the other hand, the Toda una Vida National Development Plan for
the period 2017-2021 states that in recent years production in the
sector has advanced, but there is still low productivity in commodities,
as well as in potentially exportable products, defining as a goal for the
year 2021 to increase the productivity index from 98.9 to 112 (Toda
una Vida National Plan, 2017). Therefore, it proposes to strengthen
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innovation with technical assistance and training, promote the
creation of markets and access to productive financing, among other
actions.
Despite the different actions defined, for Escobar, Brito, Andrade, and
Duque, (2017), the sector still presents vulnerability in terms of
productivity and the implementation of public policies, likewise, some
producers do not have adequate technology which influences
productivity, placing the sector somewhat distant from adequate
development models, producers with little production that in
opportunities are left out of the market. Likewise, among the factors
that influence the productivity of the sector are the price of products,
interest rate and inflation, accessibility to public credits, Mendoza
(2018).
On the other hand, MAGAP (2016) states that the agricultural sector
must face different problems that influence productivity, in addition
to those already known such as territorial heterogeneity, land use
change, there are some more recent ones such as: There is no
generational replacement of agricultural producers, reconcentration
or hoarding of productive resources, loss of arable land and control
of the food system by large corporations, monopolization of the
supply of agricultural inputs, power problems in the last links of the
marketing chains, urban occupation of arable land, the need for
education and training of producers in the new competitive context,
environmental restrictions related to climate change, loss of natural
resources, among others.
This situation is also evident in the province of Esmeraldas, in the Eloy
Alfaro Canton, in conversations between the researchers and the
producers of the Borbón and La Tola parishes, it was found that they
have different problems, among them, little organizational capacity
and culture of innovation with limited use of technology, difficulties in
obtaining credit, no marketing centers for the products, little technical
assistance and training because they do not know how to develop the
projects.
Likewise, there is little application of best agricultural practices,
problems in the availability of natural resources (water) and materials
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(equipment and inputs), loss of soil nutrients and an increase in
phytosanitary problems, in addition to this, there is land grabbing by
large corporations, so agricultural and livestock productivity has not
had a sustainable growth in the region so far.
In relation to the above findings and in the search for an objective
understanding of the situation described above, the problem can be
systematized by asking the following question: What are the factors
that influence agricultural productivity in the northern zone of the
Province of Esmeraldas?
The purpose of the research is to analyze the factors that influence
agricultural productivity in the northern area of the Province of
Esmeraldas. Being the Eloy Alfaro Canton, according to the
Development and Land Management Plan of 2014-2022, a region
where different productive activities are developed by small and
medium producers, which are concentrated in 41.44% in livestock,
agriculture, fishing and forestry according to the economically active
population. Particularly in the parishes of La Tola and Borbón, the
predominant activities are timber production, agriculture, with cocoa,
African palm and coconut, and cattle raising.
When referring to production processes, it is relevant to associate it
to the management of systems due to the use of resources to
transform elements that in some cases are mentioned as raw material
(inputs) into finished inputs ready to be marketed (output). Each
company, when seen as a production system, modifies its input
elements into optimal results for the purposes described in its
corporate objectives. Even when talking about people, the students
that enter a given institution are not the ones that leave it, since they
will go through a series of trainings, rules of coexistence, personal
relationships, sports exchanges and a great number of aspects that in
some way should modify their behavior, according to the vision and
mission of the institution.
According to Daza (2011), the production system uses operational
resources to transform inputs into some kind of desired result
(products/services), and also refers to the procedures inherent to the
work from the techniques, machinery and actions carried out to
transform organizational inputs (materials, information, ideas) into
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outputs (products and services). In this sense, all those inputs that
enter the companies are organized in such a way that they are related
to transform them into a product or service.
The Five P's of Production.
In operations management, the resources of the production system
intervene and interact with various resources and capabilities. All
those that are directly involved in production processes are known as
the 5Ps of operations and production:
• People: are the direct and indirect labor force.
• Plants: are the spaces or facilities where production processes are
carried out (factories or buildings).
• Parts: include raw materials, materials, components or service
supplies that go through the production process.
• Processes: are the equipment and sequences of steps for the
elaboration of the product or provision of the service.
• Planning and Control: procedures and information used by
management to operate the system.
Therefore, Koontz and Weihrich (2004) define a Production System
as a set of components that are interrelated to carry out a function
that consists of converting a set of inputs into outputs (goods or
services) through a transformation process.
Marx (1980) proposes productivity for the agricultural and industrial
sectors, stating that it is an increase in production based on
productive capacity without varying the use of labor power. Martin
and Farrell (2005) state that productivity is framed by factors that
delineate its behavior, such as "labor, capital, technology, energy and
materials, product measurement, product composition,
characteristics, environmental regulation and demand policy" (p. 8).
In the context of agricultural activity, Verdezoto and Viera (2016)
express that it refers to the management of the productive process of
the system, the adaptation to environmental changes in order to be
competitive and achieve sustainability. According to Palacios and
Barrientos (2014), a production system is a combination of different
subsystems, such as cultivation, in relation to homogeneously
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exploited plots and using technology, breeding, in reference to herds
or flocks of animals, transformation of the agricultural product, as well
as self-subsistence, in terms of family production with the use of
resources.
Productivity in the agricultural sector, according to different
documentary research, is a relevant and determining factor in the
economic growth of nations. Specifically, in the second half of the
20th century, major changes and analyses were carried out that
challenged economists by showing that developing and developed
countries were investing in this sector. Gollin (2010) finds that, in the
case of countries with a high proportion of rural population and
limited access to international markets, agricultural productivity is
fundamental for economic growth.
It also refers to the fact that, in most poor countries, a large part of
the population is located in rural areas where their source of livelihood
revolves around the commercialization of their products, whether
agricultural or livestock. An analysis of the graphs presented by
international organizations shows that there is a close relationship
between poverty and the population living in rural areas; however,
this population plays an important role in the development of nations
through agricultural production, where approximately 25% of the
value added in poor countries comes precisely from this population,
which has a high degree of labor co-responsibility but is also
neglected and unprotected by governmental entities.
Figure 1.
Planted and harvested area of 52 agricultural products.
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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Source: INEC with data provided by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), (2020).
On the other hand, Estupiñán et al. (2018) in the results found
points out that productivity is affected by obsolete processes, both
in crop management and storage, as well as the problem in the
marketing of the product, however, the opportunity they have to
improve are the support measures by the state for financing and
trainings for producers.
In this order of ideas, García, Apolo and Bermeo (2019), point out
in reference to the production of the agricultural and industrial
sector:
"The two sectors studied, agriculture and industry, have
contributed significantly to Ecuador's GDP, with the industrial
sector making a greater contribution, with an average of 13.52%
over the last 10 years, as opposed to the agricultural sector, which
contributed 9.28%, despite the different economic, social and
political events that have taken place in the country".
However, in the Plan del Buen Vivir 2013-2017 (national
development project) it was mentioned that "if productivity in
transitory crops that make up a good part of the basic food basket
continues to stagnate or decrease, Ecuador will have to import
food". This is one of the aspects that generates controversy among
economic analysts who establish the importance of implementing
agricultural and livestock development plans in the different
provinces of Ecuador.
In this regard, Rivera et al. (2019) in the research conducted in the
Quinindé Canton sector, Province of Esmeraldas, propose to
improve the processes and technique applied in crop production
through a management model with a sustainable approach, where,
in addition to process innovation, producers will obtain the
necessary knowledge for its implementation, which leads to
benefits aimed at local economic development.
The territory, for Rancel, Cardoso, Torres and Zayas (2016), is
considered an active part in economic and social progress seen as
growth from economic growth, as it is a strategic element since it
provides development opportunities according to its characteristics
and potentialities, where a considerable amount of opportunities
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and economic and social relations converge. Vásquez Barquero
(2013) emphasizes that it is configured as a transforming agent and
not only as a depository of resources and economic activities, since
it allows the emergence of a dynamic of action where the actors of
the territory are linked, interact and organize themselves in favor of
economic and social development, based on economic, human
and institutional resources, among others.
From this perspective, it is undeniable that it is necessary to have
the capacity to identify and take advantage of the resources
available in the territory, together with external resources,
according to Rancel et al. (2016), in order to value the development
process that can be generated by promoting the innovative
capacity of the territory, the productive and social organization,
establishing a common strategy that articulates the different
objectives to be achieved in order to ensure sustainable
development of the locality. These assertions coincide with those
made by Zubieta (2004) and González (2013) who point out that
local economic development must start from the promotion of the
local and territorial, seeking the best living conditions through
organized procedures among the actors of the region under the
approach of the efficient and sustainable use of the existing
resources in the territory.
According to Alburquerque (2007), local development takes into
account the demands posed by the structural change from
"Fordist" forms of production to forms of production based on the
incorporation of knowledge on market segmentation, quality and
differentiation of the productive offer and improvement of
territorial networks to support production and cooperation of local
public and private actors.
Migration from the countryside to the city has led to a decrease in
land in the urban area dedicated to food production, as this land is
used for construction to meet the need for housing, so food must
be purchased in markets and shopping centers, without knowing
its origin and quality and mostly at very high prices.
Aspects such as these allow us to put forward ideas that contribute
to local development in both rural and urban sectors, where the
economy is self-sustainable and provides the food security that
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each sector needs, in some cases through organoponic crops that
minimize the impact of this rural migration to urban areas.
According to (Gallicchio, 2004):
"Local Development is not, cannot be, an autarkic process. It must
be articulated with national processes. Local action will be more
useful if it is linked to an action to change national development
frameworks. In this sense, Local Development is more political than
economic".
The economic and ecological sustainability of agriculture in
terms of local development, is called to the dissemination of
farming techniques that conserve natural resources and the training
of farmers for the industrialization of products, where through
training plans and financial education they can sell their products
on the local market, in addition to the subsistence of the families
themselves. Some local economic development initiatives are
based precisely on knowing how to take advantage of these
exogenous dynamism opportunities by establishing.
In this regard, Martínez (2006) states that, in the economic
dimension of local development, the efficient use of production
systems is fundamental, which allows "increasing productivity and
improving competitiveness in the markets", therefore, it is
necessary to "transform the local productive system, increasing its
efficiency and competitiveness; promote local productive
diversification, to add value to local economic activities" (p.72). On
the other hand, González (2013) affirms that an important factor is
the mobilization and valuation of human resources, conformed as a
basic actor of the process, as it requires to be the recipient of
training and formation policies with the active participation of all
the actors of the locality, since this process is carried out based on
the needs and demands that exist.
Thus, local development, as referred to by Suarez (2006), "is a
conscious and explicit intervention strategy, linked to a shared
project and to identities and wills based mainly on the values of
solidarity and responsibility of agents and actors with a given
territory" (p. 199), a dynamic process that requires the mobilization
of multiple material and human resources in an environment that
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must be articulated to take advantage of the potential of the
territory, aimed at satisfying the needs and problems of the locality.
Methodology
The study was conducted under the quantitative approach, following
the steps of a descriptive type of research, which seeks to establish
the characterization of a fact or phenomenon to know its behavior in
the context where it develops. The population under study were the
producers of Eloy Alfaro Canton, in the Province of Esmeraldas,
located in Borbón, La Tola and other parishes, for which a sample of
one hundred (100) producers was considered, conformed as follows,
Table 1, of the parish Borbón 56 dedicated to agricultural-livestock-
forestry production, 26 producers from La Tola dedicated to
agricultural-livestock production and 18 from the other parishes
dedicated to agricultural-livestock-forestry production, to whom a
survey was applied, with an instrument containing 25 items, the data
was analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the calculation of the
relative percentage frequency.
Table 1.
Distribution of the population.
Results
In order to respond to the purpose of analyzing the factors that
influence agricultural productivity in the northern zone of the Province
of Esmeraldas, the measurements were made based on two
dimensions and the corresponding indicators. The economic
No. Producers
Type of production
Parish
Agriculture-livestock-
forestry
Bourbon
Agriculture and livestock
La Tola
Agriculture-livestock-
forestry
Other parishes
Total: 100
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dimension was measured using the indicators investment in
maintenance and technology, and the knowledge dimension was
focused on the study of the indicators knowledge of procedures and
techniques, organization and control of production.
In this sense, Table 2 presents the results referred to the indicators of
the economic dimension obtained according to the investment made
by the producer in order to maximize production and be efficient in
the activity, with respect to the investment in maintenance, most of
the producers, 80%, never do it, 17% rarely and 3% always, this shows
that they do not apply maintenance techniques for their crops and
plantations, in the preventive sanitary control, as well as in the facilities
for livestock, possibly because they are unaware of the importance of
applying it in the agricultural activity, the lack of maintenance
according to production requirements generates risk conditions,
involves high costs, directly influencing productivity, profitability and
product costs, as referred by Duffuaa, Raouf and Dixon (2009), its
execution is a fundamental factor for the production process and
therefore for product quality, so it is considered a system that works
in parallel with production and quality, in order to increase profits and
competitiveness.
Table 2.
Economic dimension.
In the results of investment in technology, Table 2, it is observed that
95% of the producers never invest in this aspect, and 5% rarely do so,
the results indicate the non-use of technology by local producers in
the production processes they develop, currently using traditional
techniques, which possibly affects productivity, in agreement with
Ramírez, Ruilova and Garzón, (2015), who state that investing in
innovation is to work with current technology in the agricultural sector
to achieve improvements in productivity and production quality, as
well as to achieve process sustainability and efficiency.
Alternative
Maintenance
investment (Fr%)
Investment in
innovation and
technology
(Fr%)
Average
Always
0
1,5
Rarely
5
Never
87,5
Total
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Likewise, Herrera and Gutiérrez (2011) state that agricultural
technological innovation is made up of several factors, among them,
knowledge, adaptation, exploration, experimentation, which allow
the different actors in the agricultural sector to achieve optimization
and improvement in production methods and satisfy their productive
realities, from the aspect of economic and social benefits. The
economic dimension, the result of the average of the indicators
mentioned above, shows the results in Figure 1, where it is observed
that most producers do not invest in maintenance or technology,
87.5% stated that they never, 11% rarely and only 1.5% always, These
results show that they do not consider investment as an important
factor in productivity. On the other hand, Baily (cited in Felsinger and
Runzaque, 2002), states that the characteristics of the product,
including maintenance and technology, are factors that influence the
behavior of production, which for Felsinger et al. (2002), is an indicator
of the use of resources.
Graph 1.
Economic dimension.
On the other hand, Verdezoto and Viera (2016), express that it is
necessary to adapt to environmental changes in order to be
competitive, being an activity made up of different processes so that
the agricultural product reaches the market and the final consumer. In
agreement with Martínez (2006), who proposes the transformation of
Always
1,5%
Rarely
11%
Never
87,5%
Título del gráfico
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processes in order to make efficient use of production units, thus
increasing productivity and adding value to the economic dimension
of local development.
The knowledge dimension was measured with the indicators
knowledge of procedures and techniques, organization and control
of production, the results of which are shown in Table 3. In relation to
the indicator knowledge of procedures and techniques, it is observed
that 17% stated that they always apply the knowledge, 13% rarely and
70% never, this last figure indicates that more than half of the
producers do not know the procedures used to develop the projects,
as well as, This last figure indicates that more than half of the
producers do not know the procedures used to develop the projects,
as well as the techniques that should be applied to increase
production in the area of crops, such as grafting, soil fertilization,
phytosanitary controls, as well as, for livestock, rotation of technified
pastures, those aimed at improving the quantity and quality of the
biomass of pastures.
Based on the above, it can be noted that the lack of knowledge of
processes and techniques has a negative impact on production, as
referred by Mejía and Calle (2016), who emphasize that the problem
can take root if the different techniques and characteristics related to
the crop, the soil, the use of new varieties for the producer and the
production cycles, among others, are unknown.
Table 3.
Knowledge dimension.
The results of the organization and control of production indicator,
Table 3, show that 90% of the producers do not keep adequate
records in accordance with the activity they carry out, such as the
control and registration of the genetic crosses made, also in relation
to the amount of production and its commercialization, therefore,
they do not know the amount invested and what they produce. In this
Alternative
Knowledge of
procedures and
techniques (Fr%)
Production
organization and
control (Fr%)
Average
Always
5
Rarely
5
Never
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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124
regard, the organization and control of processes will allow the
producer to keep a record of all the activities carried out in the
production unit, establish the results obtained and know if they are as
expected, have the information available if needed, determine if the
resources are efficiently used, and if improvements are required, as
stated by Ferrada (2003, as cited in Martínez and López, 2011).
In relation to the knowledge dimension, the results are the product of
the average of the indicators knowledge of procedures and
techniques, organization and control of production, Graph 2, where it
is observed that the majority of producers, 80%, do not have the
necessary knowledge to carry out procedures concerning the
development of projects and the techniques to be applied to improve
production, This is in contrast to Infante's (2016) approach, who points
out that the knowledge factor is an added value to reactivate
productivity in the sector and be competitive in the new market, in
order to achieve significant changes and reverse the current situation
of economic and productive uncertainty.
Figure 2
. Knowledge dimension.
On the other hand, the results presented in both dimensions show
that producers in the agricultural sector require training and technical
assistance to carry out the different agricultural and livestock activities
for which their production units are intended, in agreement with Pinto
(2006), who states that it is the learning of the knowledge, abilities,
attitudes and skills required by the individual to join the productive
system in a specific occupation. González (2013) agrees by stating
that the producer is one of the main actors in the development
Always
11%
Rarely
9%
Never
80%
Siempre Raras veces Nunca
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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process of the locality and therefore requires training and education
policies based on the needs he/she presents.
Conclusions
The agricultural sector requires changes in order to increase
productivity, for its own benefit and for the local economy, by
entering the market in a competitive manner. These changes should
be aimed at developing production capacities, implementing
innovation and developing projects with support and advice from
public and private entities in the region.
From the economic dimension it was found that most producers do
not invest in crop maintenance and livestock activity, which results in
conditions of risk in production, likewise, they do not invest in
innovation and technology, a situation that influences productivity,
profitability, costs, quality of production, as well as the sustainability
of the processes. This context is consistent with the research of
Estupiñán (2018), who found that among the weaknesses of producers
in Rioverde Canton, Esmeraldas Province, is the application of
traditional techniques, the use of warehouses that are not in
accordance with the type of storage required by the product, and the
lack of adequate irrigation systems for the crop.
In relation to the knowledge dimension, it was found that producers
do not have the necessary knowledge to carry out procedures
concerning project development and the techniques to be applied to
improve production. When compared with the research of Rivera et
al. (2019), they coincide in pointing out the need for the producer to
possess knowledge in accordance with the activity they perform, since
in the study developed in Quinindé Canton, Esmeraldas Province,
they expose that knowledge becomes the starting point for the
implementation of a new management model that allows a better
sustainable performance of processes and productivity, They
emphasize that the linkage of the applied technique, crop
diversification process, with the management model under the
sustainability approach, generates an innovative process that will
increase the economic benefits of the producer, as well as the
development of the locality. On the other hand, they found that the
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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producers require a new vision regarding the production and
commercialization of the products.
In that order of ideas, it can be noted that producers in the agricultural
sector require training and technical assistance to carry out the
different agricultural and livestock activities they develop, thus adding
value to production through the application of appropriate technical
processes for the development of projects, as well as the organization
and control of activities aimed at production. Similarly, Estupiñán
(2018), found that the greatest opportunity that producers in the
Rioverde Canton of Esmeraldas Province have to achieve benefits
related to their performance and productivity is the possibility of
access to financing programs, training and assistance agreements for
the development of projects by government entities.
It is evident that the problems found in the sector in the Eloy Alfaro
Canton of the Province of Esmeraldas related to the factors that
influence productivity coincide with the situation found in other
regions, where training, technical assistance and innovation in the
agricultural sector represent the way to obtain knowledge in order to
obtain results that combine the correct use of human, material,
technical and financial resources, through the adequate coordination
of the sector's potential, the existing demand and an effective work
methodology that subsequently allows evaluating the impact exerted
in the area.
As a prospective, this work represents the starting point to encourage
and promote the development of training plans for agricultural
producers, as well as the collaboration and technical and financial
support that arises through coordinated work between government
authorities, agricultural associations and producers for the benefit of
the sector's activities, and therefore the development of the region.
In this sense, the contribution of this research is of great relevance
when considering the producers in their natural spaces and observing
the socioeconomic development that they manage with the few
resources they have, this means that future research will serve for the
incorporation of sustainability and sustainability plans for families and
surrounding areas in such a way that social conditions are achieved
for the future of this productive sector in the northern area of the
province of Esmeraldas. In addition to serving as a replica in other
Agricultural productivity in the northern area of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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regions of the country with similar characteristics, where small and
medium producers need to be oriented in relation to the culture and
administrative education, which allows to enhance and energize the
market through training and annual or biannual meetings where ideas
are socialized in relation to production mechanisms and marketing
actions.
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