Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Agricultural production is a necessary activity for the survival of mankind, bananas are one of the products consumed worldwide, and Ecuador is an important producer and marketer of this fruit. Within the exportable supply of the country, bananas represent an important item. This research analyzes the commercialization processes of the Cavendish banana variety in the canton of Las Naves, for which five banana producers of this canton were investigated. The methodology used was descriptive and analytical, applying interviews and surveys to these producers, as well as reviewing secondary information to know the global and specific context of the problem of study. The most important results obtained were: that the producers-traders, who have important volumes, have the possibility of committing their product to the large transnational companies such as Chiquita International Limited, Del Monte, etc., the large producers have integrated the entire marketing process, since they are also wholesalers, so they have warehouses that allow them to sell large volumes produced or fruit from other companies that have been subject to a process of intermediation, in the case of small producers, In the case of small producers, their small volumes do not allow them to sell directly to the central supply center, not even via commission agents, so their sales are made through the local collector, who in turn will sell to the commission agent of the central supply center, who in turn will sell to the wholesaler.

Anthropic pressure to irrigate extensive monoculture banana and cocoa plantations from the surface hydrographic network of the canton of Valencia has substantially diminished the flow and water mirrors of the main surface water bodies of the canton. The need to generate foreign exchange to maintain the socioeconomic functioning of the country must address both internal and external factors such as rapid population growth and increasing international demand for tropical agricultural products. The present investigation involved extensive field inventory work of the global study area to select a specific sampling area that is representative of the central problem of the present investigation, and involved the collection of extensive digital geoinformation for subsequent processing in a GIS environment, The digital spatial treatment of the main agricultural coverages of the canton of Valencia dominated by banana and cocoa monocultures to determine their territorial expansion in time and space, as well as the temporo-spatial analysis of the variation of the water mirrors of the San Pablo and Quindigua rivers and the modeling of the flow of the micro-watershed of the Quindigua river located in the sampling area.

Pleurotus ostreatus is an edible fungus that is produced on a wide variety of agricultural and agroindustrial wastes, due to its great capacity to colonize and degrade lignocellulosic substrates. The objective of this work was to evaluate the kinetics of radial growth, to obtain mycelium and the production of Pleurotus ostreatus in fresh state, using for its growth tender corn cob husk, legume husk (pea, bean and broad bean). In the first phase, mycelial growth was determined and in the second phase, production of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus.  For radial growth or mycelial growth, a completely randomized experimental design was used, with five treatments and five replicates. In the kinetics of radial growth, which was the obtaining of mycelium, the one that showed the best behavior in the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus was the culture medium Papa dextrose agar plus the inclusion of pea husk (Pisum sativum) 74 mm at 168 hours of growth, while the best harvest yield of Pleurotus ostreatus was fava bean husk (Vicia faba) 151.40 g of Pleurotus ostreatus, per kilogram of substrate in the first harvest. With these results, there is an alternative to use vegetable waste generated in the central market of the canton of Quevedo, Province of Los Ríos, Ecuador, to obtain a foodstuff and reduce the contamination that waste generates in the environment.

In the context of Ecuador's economic and social development, theagricultural sector plays a fundamental role, and currently presentsdifferent challenges in terms of increasing productivity, so thepurpose of this research is to analyze the factors that influenceagricultural productivity in the northern area of the Province ofEsmeraldas. It was conducted under the quantitative approach, witha descriptive type of research, the target population of the study werethe producers of Eloy Alfaro Canton, located in Borbón, La Tola andother parishes, for which a sample of one hundred producers wasconsidered. The data collection technique was the survey, whoseinstrument consists of a questionnaire with a Likert-type scale, thedata were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the calculation ofthe relative percentage frequency. As a result of the measurementsmade in terms of the economic dimension, it was found that mostproducers do not invest in crop maintenance and livestock activities,which results in risky production conditions; while, in the knowledgedimension, producers do not invest in maintenance or in innovationand technology, do not know processes and techniques to developagricultural activities, do not have the organization and control of the  processes they carry out, and therefore require training and technicalassistance to increase productivity and be competitive in the market.

The irrational use of ripening agents can cause damage to banana composition. Therefore, the objective of this research was to analyze the use of calcium acetylide in fruits of Musa paradisiaca L., Dominico and Barraganete varieties. A completely randomized design (CRD) with factorial arrangement A x B x C was used, with twelve treatments and three replications, for the determination of differences between means Tukey was used (p≤ 0.05). The variables evaluated were: ripening time, dry matter content, moisture, pH, energy, brix degrees, acidity, pulp hardness, peel dry matter, peel moisture and peel color, for which a total of 36 boxes were used, which were sampled at two times: 48 and 72 hours after the calcium acetylide was applied. Regarding the results, it should be noted that, regardless of the variety, both in physical and qualitative parameters in fruit pulp, all treatments exposed to calcium acetylide were outstanding. However, within chemical parameters such as energy and dry matter content, the controls stood out, respectively. In conclusion, there was a marked influence of calcium acetylide as an artificial ripening agent over natural ripening in the other aspects evaluated, especially in the ripening time variable, where the treatments exposed to it were able to obtain an advantage of more than 50% of time in relation to the controls.

The present work deals with the impact of the change from face-toface to virtuality in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic as a driver ofICTs in higher education, in which everything related to the use ofICTs will be shown and how currently they are being the protagonistsof the activities in higher education so that it can continue its coursein the midst of the pandemic, the measures taken to safeguard thesafety of the entire university community by its authorities will beshown, one of them is confinement or forty to prevent theircommunity from being exposed to Covid-19 contagion and so thatacademic activities can continue, it was decided to make use of ICTsin a very significant way since it is currently the most feasible way, wewill have concepts, data both of Covid-19, ICTs, Higher Education, aswell as the use of ICTs. In this work we can also find surveys carriedout on both students and teachers about ICTs in higher education inquarantine, we will indicate our appreciation of the academicprocesses and the benefits of the use of technologies.

The research consisted of identifying the spaces of traditional uses for food security and sovereignty, as well as learning about traditional gastronomy and understanding the mandates of the elders on the importance of rationally managing natural resources for collective well-being in communities located in the upper basin of the Cayapas River, Telembí parish, Eloy Alfaro canton, northwestern coast of Ecuador. The methodology applied was qualitative, using bibliographic review, semi-structured interview techniques and focus groups. The sample included 60 male and female producers and leaders from 10 communities (37% of the universe), applying gender and generational approaches. As a result, it was observed that the inhabitants manage natural resources in close relation to the concept of peasant family agriculture, which responds to the cosmovision and productive practices of ancestral communities. These populations struggle to conserve their territory, sustain the agrifood system to guarantee food security and sovereignty, in a context of antagonism between local actors and hegemonic economic groups (agroindustrial capitalism). The communities have clearly identified and manage their traditional uses for food production (hills, canoeras, cantero, forest and river), which have been sustained for more than 300 years in the territory. The way and the reasons for preparing food are linked to daily events, festivals and rituals, allowing the strengthening of traditions through gastronomy. The teaching mechanisms of the elders have contributed to recovering, strengthening, repositioning and reconstructing the existence of the communities as an ancestral right.

Forest fires are phenomena of great relevance due to the adverse effects they produce on the environment, while they are part of the ecological balance of various ecosystems. The occurrence of fires is related to climatic, environmental, topographical, and socioeconomic variables. The objective of this research was to prioritize a set of forest sites based on their susceptibility to fires in the Experimental Forest Field Las Cruces, Texcoco, Mexico. We used the PROMETHEE II multicriteria method, considering indicators of importance in the incidence of fires. We obtained the information from field records, databases, cartography, and interviews with experts on fire issues. As a result, we identified five high susceptibility sites, twenty medium and five low susceptibility sites on a map. The criteria with the greatest weight of importance were maximum annual temperature (20 %), fire prevention (20 %), fuel load (10 %), and distance to access roads (10 %). The methodology allowed the appropriate use of the information generated on the potential causes of fires. Sensitivity analysis showed that prioritization based on fire susceptibility is consistent and robust.

The relationship between native people and their sound environment constitutes an emerging field to know the value of the acoustic dimension in understanding the territory and the links between its natural and cultural components. Based on semi-structured interviews, we documented and analyzed the local knowledge of the zoques of Tapalapa, Chiapas, Mexico, about the sounds of their environment and the interactions, perceptions, and interpretations they have developed about them providing a perspective on their value for understanding and coexistence with biodiversity. Starting from the local sound classification system, we recognized cosmophonies as a category that makes the sound interpretations related to the Zoque worldview visible. The findings of this study highlight the value of species and ecosystems in a good state of conservation as a refuge for the wealth of sound signals, essential in community life, and invite a deeper understanding of the modernizing processes that have eroded the environmental sound heritage of the Tapalapa’s zoques. We conclude that the degradation of local ecosystems and their sound impacts the knowledge system, cultural identity, and the sense of belonging of the zoques.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the leading food crops in the Colombian Caribbean. Participatory plant breeding is a strategy to obtain varieties that meet the needs of those who produce cassava, while valuing local knowledge and promoting the relationship between plant breeding processes and people, considering the low level of adoption of improved varieties of this plant reported in the region. Through a co-investigation process that included the participation of former FARC-EP combatants in the process of reincorporating into civilian life, we documented the knowledge about the varieties of cassava preserved by 20 peasants who live in the Montes de María. As a result, we describe the crop management and the uses and attributes associated with 25 reported common names of this plant. We highlight the need to recover the use of a greater number of cassava varieties; although there is knowledge about some of them, not many varieties are grown anymore. These results represent the primary input aimed at developing new varieties that respond to the preferences of the peasantry, which is a process that must be led and conducted by the communities themselves.