Water is one of the most determining factors in obtaining high yields in oil palm crops. However, water scarcity is becoming a challenge for agricultural sustainability. Therefore, when the environmental supply of water is low, it is necessary to provide it to crops with the highest degree of efficiency. However, although irrigation technologies are available, for various reasons farmers continue to use inefficient irrigation systems, which causes resource losses. The objective of this study was to analyze the percentage of adoption of irrigation technologies for water management in oil palm crops and to classify the factors influencing their adoption by producers. The method for the classification of influential factors was based on multiple correspondence analysis and perceptron neural networks. The results showed that fewer than 15% of the producers adopt irrigation technologies, and the factors classified as influential in the adoption decision were the age of the palm growers, the size of the plantation, and the access to extension services. These results are the basis for the formulation of effective and focused extension strategies according to the characteristics of the producers and the local and technological specificity.

Oil palm is the second most cultivated oilseed crop in the world after soybeans, with more than 23 million hectares cultivated worldwide; it has become crucial for the economy of many countries. In Colombia, it is one of the most developed agricultural sectors, and every year the sector promotes the development of technologies that lead to greater sustainability of agricultural and food systems and address the challenges and opportunities of agribusiness. In this research, the central focus was the adoption of irrigation technologies, which is limited despite significant efforts and investments in physical and human capital. On many occasions, the typology of farmers has been associated with low technology implementation. Thus, linking the typology of farmers according to certain commonalities or differences is an essential step in exploring the factors that explain the adoption. In addition, the ranking also helps in the understanding of existing adoption constraints, as well as finding opportunities for change. This study aimed to determine the socioeconomic and demographic typology of those who adopt irrigation technologies. The analysis was performed using categorical principal component analysis to reduce dimensionality and fuzzy cluster analysis to classify the groups. As a result, four groups of producers that differ in terms of their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were obtained, where the groups “population with female leadership” and “diversified population” were the adopters of irrigation technologies. The most outstanding characteristics of these two groups were the profitability of the harvest and the age of the producers. Determining the typology of farmers is a fundamental step in expanding the technology adoption process through agricultural extension services, which represent a way of reaching producers directly. In addition, these results allow decision makers to participate in this dynamic reflectively and intentionally (such as governments, researchers, and technology transferors).

Las mejores prácticas agrícolas en cultivares híbridos interespecíficos OxG (Elaeis oleifera x Elaeis guineensis) están relacionadas con el conjunto de actividades y labores agronómicas que, aplicadas de manera adecuada y oportuna, conducen a mejorar el estado fitosanitario y la productividad del cultivo de la palma de aceite y, por lo tanto, hacen al cultivo más competitivo y sostenible. Para lograr la competitividad de este sector, los palmicultores y beneficiadores del fruto que utilizan cultivares híbridos OxG deben adoptar y adaptar las mejores prácticas agroindustriales en sus plantaciones. De esta manera mejorarán la productividad, bajarán costos de producción y aprovecharán la versatilidad de los productos que se generan a partir del beneficio del fruto del híbrido interespecífico OxG. En este escenario, se presentan los resultados de las mejores prácticas agrícolas y la adopción de tecnologías alcanzadas por los productores durante cuatro años de trabajo, en las zonas Norte, Central, Oriental y Suroccidental de Colombia. A pesar de la variabilidad en las condiciones biofísicas entre las cuatro zonas productoras de palma, la implementación de prácticas agrícolas asociadas a la disposición de biomasa alrededor del plato, al manejo eficiente del recurso hídrico en aquellos predios con acceso al riego y en las zonas donde se utiliza principalmente drenaje superficial, a una nutrición balanceada y a un manejo fitosanitario llevó a un incremento promedio de 7,5 t RFF/ha y a una reducción promedio del 6 % del costo por tonelada. No obstante, se observaron lotes con incremento anual de 10 t RFF/ha, en las zonas Norte (subzona Urabá) y Suroccidental (Tumaco), y de 4,5 t RFF/ha en las zonas Central (subzona Puerto Wilches) y Oriental. El incremento en el ingreso neto permite un negocio rentable para los productores de pequeña y mediana escala. Por otro lado, la estrategia de transferencia de tecnología productor a productor ha permitido que la adopción de las tecnologías de ubicación de biomasa alrededor del plato, punto óptimo de cosecha y polinización artificial estén cerca del 40 % en el área cultivada con el híbrido interespecífico OxG