Sustainable water management is a key approach for enhancing the productivity of oil palm trees while addressing the impacts of climate change and variability. Determining the water needs of a crop is crucial for the appropriate application of water. This research was carried out in two plantations in Agustín Codazzi, Colombia, using a completely randomized design. This study involved examining the impacts of five different water conditions (50, 150, 300, 450, and 600 L per day) on the growth and yields of mature oil palm trees (aged 10–17 years), and their water consumption was calculated using the water balance method. The results indicated that the crop was negatively affected by daily water applications of 300, 150, and 50 L per day, showing statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) when compared to the 450 and 600 L per day treatments, particularly in terms of leaf emergence, leaf area index, and yield (tons per hectare). The 50 L per day treatment resulted in the most substantial decrease in yield (around 26%), primarily attributed to a reduction in the number of bunches. The most favorable crop responses were observed with water applications of 450 and 600 L per day, aligning with the crop’s potential evapotranspiration values (ranging between 5.4 and 5.7 mm per day) and yielding crop coefficients of 0.88 and 0.9, respectively. Notably, these values varied between dry and rainy seasons, peaking between December and March.

The Orinoquía Natural Region in Colombia, particularly the Cumaral and Bajo Upía subzone, serves as the country’s primary palm oil production area. However, it faces with labor shortages and a lack of current mechanization data. This study aims to assess mechanization status to enhance productivity and competitiveness in the oil palm industry. The goal was to determine the mechanization landscape, characterize available technologies, and evaluate their impact on productivity and costs for different types of oil palm producers. Utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire, data was collected from plantation administrators and technical assistants. Analysis focused on identifying mechanization options and assessing machinery adoption, productivity, and costs. Tractors are predominantly used for power, with limited adoption of advanced machinery like grabbers, variable-rate fertilizers, and electrostatic sprayers. Additionally, there’s a notable gap in harvest equipment availability, suggesting a need for further technological development and machinery rental strategies. This study highlights the importance of updated mechanization data and provides insights for decision-makers seeking to improve oil palm productivity and competitiveness in Colombia. By understanding the mechanization landscape, stakeholders can address labor shortages and drive sustainable growth in the oil palm sector.

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).

La importancia del cultivo de palma de aceite en Colombia ha impactado tanto en la expansión física como en la transformación de los procesos de desarrollo generados en los territorios donde se ha establecido. Casos particulares como Puerto Wilches (Santander) en donde la agroindustria ha estado presente por más de cinco décadas orientan a un reconocimiento de los procesos de transformación asociados a la agroindustria en el territorio. Buscando contribuir a esta necesidad, se tuvo como objetivo identificar los procesos históricos en torno al surgimiento de la agroindustria de la palma de aceite y su consolidación como principal actividad económica del municipio. En el ejercicio se empleó información primaria y secundaria que permitió a través del análisis cualitativo, reconstruir los procesos de transformación territorial entre 1960 y 2016, con lo cual fue posible aportar insumos valiosos para la construcción colectiva de la visión del territorio en términos de su desarrollo.

El manejo eficiente de la nutrición es un reto que precisa de un conocimiento profundo de las plantas cultivadas y sus interacciones con los factores edáficos, climáticos, bióticos y las prácticas de agricultura utilizadas. El desarrollo de este capítulo evidencia una exhausta investigación entorno al tema.