Inadequate food and nutrition affect human well-being, particularly for many poor subpopulations living in rural areas. The purpose of this research was to analyze the factors that determine the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) in the rural area of the Paute River Basin, Azuay Province, Ecuador. The sample size of 383 surveys was determined by a stratified random sampling method with proportional affixation. Dietary diversity was measured through the HDDS, with 12 food groups (cereals; roots and tubers; fruits; sugar/honey; meat and eggs; legumes or grains; vegetables; oils/fats; milk and dairy products; meats; miscellaneous; fish and shellfish) over a recall period of 7 days. A Poisson regression model was used to determine the relationship between the HDDS and sociodemographic variables. The results show that the average HDDS of food consumption is 10.89 foods. Of the analyzed food groups, the most consumed are cereals; roots and tubers; fruits; sugar/honey. In addition, the determinants that best explain the HDDS in the predictive model were housing size, household size, per capita food expenditure, area of cultivated land, level of education, and marital status of the head of household. The tools used in this research can be used to analyze food and nutrition security interventions. Furthermore, the results allow policymakers to identify applicable public policies in the fight against hunger.

The institutional reform of the State established in Ecuador during the last decade has aimed at regaining control of specific sectors such as the consumptive use of water. Since 2014, regulation, consumption, and use of water, especially in agriculture, have been analyzed through policies and fiscal instruments. This research presents itself in the context of the simulation of scenarios using positive mathematical programming, to analyze the economic impact of pricing policies on agro-food farms. Policies of fixed costs, water blocks, and volumetric prices are evaluated. The results show that the existing fixed costs do not reduce water consumption. In contrast, the scenarios of water blocks and volumetric prices impact on the behavior of farmers. The tendency of water consumption to the application of volumetric prices demonstrates that banana farms have a greater tolerance to the increase of water costs. On the other hand, the response to an increase in cost in the case of cacao, sugar cane, and rice depends on the productivity of farmers. The negative effects can lead to the abandonment of agriculture. Thus, volumetric policies are more efficient in reducing water consumption as well as in recovering the costs of the irrigation system.

La estructura agraria en el Ecuador tiene una marcada diferenciación debido a la tenencia y acceso a la tierra. El crecimiento de la producción pecuaria dentro de las pequeñas y medianas explotaciones ha sido constante en los últimos años, así como la feminización del campo. En la serranía del Ecuador, estos procesos pueden observarse con mayor detalle, especialmente en aquellas provincias que se encuentran en el centro del país. Esto ha motivado a analizar la dinámica de los pequeños productores de las provincias de Chimborazo, Cotopaxi y Tungurahua, por medio de la aplicación de una encuesta a 793 agricultores, donde se revisan las características socio-productivas relacionadas con la producción de leche de ganado bovino. Algunos resultados demuestran que, comparativamente, la producción de leche se concentra entre las extensiones de 0,5 y 1 hectárea, siendo la provincia de Tungurahua en donde existe una mayor distribución de acuerdo al tamaño. Finalmente, se concluye que, la concentración de la tierra ha influenciado a una reducción del número de unidades bovinas, incidiendo directamente sobre los ingresos familiares, provenientes de la producción lechera, que en este caso no superan el 40% la remuneración básica mensual. del Ecuador.

Agriculture worldwide faces the need to reduce chemical pesticides and produce healthier food. In Latin America, research on the organic food sector primarily focuses on supply. Consumption analysis is crucial for providing information about customers’ needs. This paper aims to analyze the Ecuadorian organic food sector, which is an interesting case for investigating the relationship between willingness to consume organic food and socioeconomic factors. To this end, 382 consumers were surveyed. The study applied a logit regression analysis to assess the role of socioeconomic factors in the willingness to consume organic food. Radar diagrams depict the percentage of respondents who checked a particular reason for choosing or refusing organic food. A cross-location comparison analysis was applied to identify differences between locations within the Central Ecuador region. Results reveal that Ecuadorian consumers’ awareness rate of organic food is only 53.5%. Regarding organic food’s price, 24% of consumers perceive it to be overly expensive. Based on strengthening the supervision of organic food production, various channels should be used to promote organic food consumption and facilitate the recognition of available organic food.

La necesidad de tener una producción de alimentos sanos y nutritivos que mejore la soberanía alimentaria ha sido una preocupación de muchos gobiernos. Este presente trabajo se realizó con el propósito de identificar modelos de producción sostenible de alimentos del cantón Píllaro como aporte a la Soberanía Alimentaria - SA. Además, se evaluaron indicadores de SA, con el fin de conocer el aporte de los modelos identificados. Los indicadores consideran cinco parámetros: acceso a recursos, modelos de producción, transformación y comercialización, consumo alimentario y derecho a la alimentación y políticas agrarias. Para este propósito se aplicó una encuesta que se enfoca en parámetros agroecológicos, donde se estudiaron variables como: tipo de producción (agrícola y pecuaria), tamaño de tierra (área aproximada por agricultor), cantidad producida (volumen de producción por cada rubro), y diversificación de cultivos (número de cultivos empleados por parcela de tierra). A través de este método se encontró una extensa lista de especies agrícolas cultivadas por la población analizada. Mediante el análisis de resultados se identificaron tres modelos agroalimentarios con producción sostenible, los cuales están basados en la diversificación de cultivos por lo que se ha establecido como modelos agroalimentarios de diversificación alta, media y baja. Con estos resultados se demuestra la influencia de los modelos agroalimentarios en la Soberanía Alimentaria del cantón Píllaro y se comprueba que la diversificación de cultivos permite disponibilidad de alimentos variados provistos por prácticas de la agricultura familiar y campesina.

Fair commercialization networks represent a direct economic and social participation mechanism for small producers in rural areas. Women’s participation is a pillar in short commercialization, which incorporates family income and economic independence, as well as food diversification in the territory. This research aims to analyze short commercialization circuits (SCCs) for agroecological foods as a contribution to productive development in the rural Andean area of Pillaro canton. This research, developed between April 2019 and May 2020, involved a quantitative approach and cross-sectional data collection. The Farm Sustainability Indicators (IDEA) method was used for the analysis, which establishes three scales: agroecological, socio-territorial and economic sustainability. The results show that SSCs contribute to food security through low-cost food, diversification, and nutritional products. In addition, SCCs allow a closeness between producers and consumers that provides greater confidence in the products offered. The ratings of 35.0 for the sustainability scale, 30.52 for the socio-territorial scale, and 17.5 for the economic scale indicate that the short commercialization circuits observed in the area consist of a sustainable system that allows for the social and economic improvement of producers in the rural Andean area of Pillaro canton, as well as the improvement of the natural environment.