SUSTENTABILIDAD AGROPECUARIA DE SISTEMAS CAMPESINOS EN EL CORREGIMIENTO DE AYACUCHO [PALMIRA - VALLE DEL CAUCA].

Contextualization: This research is focused on farmhand production systems in the hillside area of Palmira [Valle del Cauca], characterized by having small productive areas with perennial and short-cycle plants, and livestock systems with minor species. These systems are of great importance for the food security of the population, due to their diverse offer for the regional market. Knowledge gap: Farming systems are highly vulnerable to various external factors, such as market fluctuations and the weather variability that place them at risk. This research was based on the following question: how sustainable are the farming systems in the hillside area of the Municipality of Palmira Valle del Cauca? Purpose: Evaluate the agricultural sustainability of peasant systems in the Ayacucho district of Palmira [Valle del Cauca]. Methodology: Some attributes of thirteen prioritized peasant systems were quantified, using the Natural Resource Management Systems Assessment Framework, and incorporating Sustainability Indicators [MESMIS]. The data obtained from the survey and field visits were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics of main components, using the statistical package R Studio version 3.0.1. Productivity, adaptability, stability, reliability, resilience, equity and self-management attributes were plotted using a radar-type diagram, with an evaluative range of 0-100%. The indicators per attribute were plotted as eigenvectors for the first two main components, establishing their degree of similarity through the accumulated variance. Results and conclusions: stability registered the highest value with 75.15%, indicating strengths in the land ownership and in the water supply in the area for agricultural production. The adaptability and self-management attributes registered the lowest values with 44.90% and 46.15%, respectively, indicating weaknesses such as high dependence on external inputs, technical ignorance about the integration of animal and plant components, as well as low level of associativity. The results obtained, using the MESMIS evaluation, allowed a holistic assessment of the peasant systems in the Arenillo village, and that made possible to identify critical aspects for developing improvements that lead to achieve the sustainability of these farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]