Sustainability of agricultural systems on ecological and conventional farms in Costa Rica.

Sustainability of agricultural systems on ecological and conventional farms in Costa Rica. This research developed and validated a methodology to analyze sustainability in 17 farms located in seven Costa Rican municipalities. Farm size varied between 1,40 hectares and 17,2 hectares; the land was in use in ecological and conventional cultivation systems in coffee, sugar cane, vegetables, and cattle ranching. The methodology was developed by characterization of management systems and evaluation of sustainability indicators. In order to characterize the management system, the information compiled between 2004 and 2007 was analyzed in five major aspects: human, social, natural, economic, and physical. The sustainability analysis allowed 15 indicators to be organized under the attributes of: stability, adaptability, productivity, efficiency, participation, organization, and ecosystem services. Only the ecological farms are sustainable. We recommend this method for use in other tropical countries.