Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023
Protected agriculture in Ecuador began in the 1990s and has expanded due to its comparative advantages over open field production. However, there are no statistics on this sector, which limits decision-making. The aim of this research was to provide a baseline of greenhouse agriculture in Imbabura....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/166 |
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| author | Luis Marcelo Albuja-Illescas Andrés Manolo Carrión-Burgos Rafael Jiménez-Lao María Teresa Lao |
| author_facet | Luis Marcelo Albuja-Illescas Andrés Manolo Carrión-Burgos Rafael Jiménez-Lao María Teresa Lao |
| author_sort | Luis Marcelo Albuja-Illescas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Protected agriculture in Ecuador began in the 1990s and has expanded due to its comparative advantages over open field production. However, there are no statistics on this sector, which limits decision-making. The aim of this research was to provide a baseline of greenhouse agriculture in Imbabura. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery was used to estimate the spatial distribution of plastic-covered surface area in 2016 and 2023. To minimize biases in estimation, manual verification was also conducted. Based on population data, a structured survey was administered to a probabilistic sample of 234 greenhouses. The results highlight the presence of 1958 greenhouses that cover 527 hectares, with an average of 0.26 hectares. The greenhouses were characterized in terms of their design, construction materials and equipment. The main crop under plastic is tomato, with 76.9%, of which the management characteristics and the productive and economic results obtained in 2023 were identified. The findings could inform the formulation of public policies or specific interventions to strengthen protected agriculture in the region; however, support mechanisms are needed to fully exploit its potential. Among these, producer organization could be a viable strategy to address food security challenges in the context of climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2201b891c1b440c98c454ad4bdbf410d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-2201b891c1b440c98c454ad4bdbf410d2025-01-24T13:17:00ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115116610.3390/agronomy15010166Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023Luis Marcelo Albuja-Illescas0Andrés Manolo Carrión-Burgos1Rafael Jiménez-Lao2María Teresa Lao3Agrobiodiversity and Food Security Research Group-GIASSA, Agricultural and Environmental Science Faculty, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Av. 17 de Julio 5-21 y Gral. José María Córdova, Ibarra 100105, EcuadorAgrobiodiversity and Food Security Research Group-GIASSA, Agricultural and Environmental Science Faculty, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Av. 17 de Julio 5-21 y Gral. José María Córdova, Ibarra 100105, EcuadorDepartment of Engineering, University of Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano s/n, 04120 Almería, SpainAgronomy Department, Research Center for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology CIAMBITAL, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainProtected agriculture in Ecuador began in the 1990s and has expanded due to its comparative advantages over open field production. However, there are no statistics on this sector, which limits decision-making. The aim of this research was to provide a baseline of greenhouse agriculture in Imbabura. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery was used to estimate the spatial distribution of plastic-covered surface area in 2016 and 2023. To minimize biases in estimation, manual verification was also conducted. Based on population data, a structured survey was administered to a probabilistic sample of 234 greenhouses. The results highlight the presence of 1958 greenhouses that cover 527 hectares, with an average of 0.26 hectares. The greenhouses were characterized in terms of their design, construction materials and equipment. The main crop under plastic is tomato, with 76.9%, of which the management characteristics and the productive and economic results obtained in 2023 were identified. The findings could inform the formulation of public policies or specific interventions to strengthen protected agriculture in the region; however, support mechanisms are needed to fully exploit its potential. Among these, producer organization could be a viable strategy to address food security challenges in the context of climate change.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/166greenhousestomatoagricultural baselineSentinel-2spatial distributiongreenhouse geodatabase |
| spellingShingle | Luis Marcelo Albuja-Illescas Andrés Manolo Carrión-Burgos Rafael Jiménez-Lao María Teresa Lao Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 Agronomy greenhouses tomato agricultural baseline Sentinel-2 spatial distribution greenhouse geodatabase |
| title | Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 |
| title_full | Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 |
| title_fullStr | Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 |
| title_short | Diagnosis of Protected Agriculture in Imbabura—Ecuador, Period 2016–2023 |
| title_sort | diagnosis of protected agriculture in imbabura ecuador period 2016 2023 |
| topic | greenhouses tomato agricultural baseline Sentinel-2 spatial distribution greenhouse geodatabase |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/166 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luismarceloalbujaillescas diagnosisofprotectedagricultureinimbaburaecuadorperiod20162023 AT andresmanolocarrionburgos diagnosisofprotectedagricultureinimbaburaecuadorperiod20162023 AT rafaeljimenezlao diagnosisofprotectedagricultureinimbaburaecuadorperiod20162023 AT mariateresalao diagnosisofprotectedagricultureinimbaburaecuadorperiod20162023 |