SUSTAINABILITY IN SMALL PEASANT AGRICULTURE IN THE DRYLANDS OF CENTRAL CHILE, VALPARAÍSO REGION

Abstract

Small-scale agriculture in the drylands of Central Chile is facing several challenges, such as  scarcity or variability of annual rainfall regimes, the impact of global climate change, and distance from development centers. The implementation of programs for agricultural development requires an adequate diagnosis and assessment of the sustainability of agricultural systems, which can be conducted using a diversity of indices. This study analyzed the sustainability of small-scale dryland agriculture in the Valparaíso Region in Central Chile through the FAO SAFA Smallholders framework. This tool has been validated in different contexts, including indicators in social, environmental, economic and governance dimensions. In particular, the sustainability of 30 representative farms in the study area was evaluated in terms of crop diversity, production approach (conventional vs. agroecological) and access to water for irrigation. As there is no previous history of the use of the SAFA tool in this type of evaluations in the country, this study could be considered exploratory. The results show an intermediate level of sustainability with an average value of 60% on a scale of 1-100%. Farms with greater diversity of crops and agroecological practices revealed higher levels of sustainability than those with a focus on monoculture and conventional practices. The results highlight the importance of promoting agroecological practices according to the precariousness of available water resources; reinforcing programs and initiatives that contribute to the participation of farmers in their union organizations and community investments in their territory; improving farmers’ liquidity through the access to different financing sources; and expanding technical and management training to a larger audience.