Agroecological transition potential of smallholder avocado systems in the Colombian tropical Andes: an index-based approach

Résumé fourni par la source

The Tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse and ecologically sensitive regions globally, faces significant sustainability challenges due to agricultural expansion, particularly in high-demand crops like avocado. Over the past two decades, avocado cultivation in CThe Tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse and ecologi­cally sensitive regions globally, faces critical sustainability chal­lenges driven by the rapid expansion of high-value crops such as Hass avocado. In northern Tolima, Colombia, smallholder avocado farmers have been systematically exposed to agroe­cological practices through the ‘Tropical Agriculture (AT)’ pro­gram promoted by the Horticultural Association of Colombia (Asohofrucol), providing a documented context in which to evaluate the degree of agroecological transition. This study applies a Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) framework to quan­titatively evaluate the status of agroecological adoption and the socio-ecological factors that facilitate or constrain it among 60 small-scale avocado farmers. We developed two comple­mentary indices: the Socio-Ecological Sustainability Index (SESI, range 0–4), which evaluates sustainability across governance, resource management, production systems, and social interac­tion dimensions, and the Agroecological Practices Index (API, range 0–1), which evaluates the adoption status of 18 specific AT practices across three domains (Plant Nutrition, Soil Protec­tion, Biodiversity Protection). The API is applied as an evalua­tive tool—measuring adoption of practices farmers have been trained in—rather than as a prescriptive benchmark. Results show a moderate SESI score of 2.11; governance scored high­est (0.63), reflecting secure land tenure for 83% of farmers and high associativity, while the Resource Systems dimension scored lowest (0.39), indicating limited integration of ecosys­tem services. The average API score of 0.38 reveals highest adoption in Soil Protection (60%) and lowest in Plant Nutrition (24%), with practice-specific barriers linked to input access and technical knowledge. Notably, only 43.3% of farmers intend to continue avocado cultivation, and plantations average 5.2 years of age, indicating that price volatility threatens estab­lished productive investments. These findings underscore the need for stable market mechanisms, differentiated technical support, and integrated policies that align smallholder pro­ductivity with ecological stewardship in ecologically sensitive Andean landscapes

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