A multi-criteria index for ecological evaluation of tropical agriculture in southeastern Mexico
The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional agricultural systems, pesticide use, method and frequency of tillage. We monitored the ecological state of 52 agricultural plots to test the performance of the index. The variables were hierarchically aggregated with simple mathematical algorithms, if-then rules, and rule-based fuzzy models, yielding the final multi-criteria index with values from 0 (worst) to 1 (best conditions). We validated the model through independent evaluation by experts, and we obtained a linear regression with an r2 = 0.61 (p = 2.4e-06, d.f. = 49) between index output and the experts' evaluation.
Main Authors: | Huerta Lwanga, Esperanza Doctora autora 2039, Kampichler, Christian Doctor autor 14772, Ochoa Gaona, Susana Doctora autora 72, De Jong, Bernardus Hendricus Jozeph Doctor autor 2038, Hernández Daumás, Salvador Doctor autor 2023, Geissen Geissen, Violette Doctora autora 2022 |
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Format: | Texto biblioteca |
Language: | eng |
Subjects: | Agricultura convencional, Evaluación de tierras, Indicadores ambientales, Agricultura sostenible, |
Online Access: | http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0112493&representation=PDF |
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