Abstract

TAMAYO ORTIZ, Christian Vicente et al. Peasant survival strategies in high Andean agroecosystems. Siembra [online]. 2023, vol.10, n.2, 4520. ISSN 2477-8850.  https://doi.org/10.29166/siembra.v10i2.4520.

A study was conducted to identify peasant survival strategies with a systemic approach in the Chugchilán parish, Cotopaxi province, in areas at 3,000 meters above sea level. The results addressed five different zones according to their particular topography, soil types and climate; those zones are: cold peaks, low slopes of the Quilotoa volcano, high and low slopes of the western mountain range and the Toachi river basin. The strategies implemented by the farmers to cope with their vulnerability were: itinerant migration to the city to sell their labor force, agricultural production for sale (60%) and self-consumption (40%), and the use of traditional crops such as chocho (Lupinus mutabilis) for sale in the market. Other non-agricultural sources of income were also reported, such as construction, handicrafts and services related to rural tourism. Farmers' socioeconomic conditions may improve or worsen depending on the agroecosystem conditions where they are located.

Keywords : Mountain territories; Lupinus mutabilis; production systems; peasant economy; ecotourism.

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