Esta investigación generó información actualizada de los Sistemas de Producción Lechera (SPL) en Ecuador en función de sus regiones agroclimáticas con el objetivo de identificar limitaciones, potencialidades e interacciones que determinen su productividad y sostenibilidad. Se muestrearon Unidades Productivas (UPA’s) de manera aleatoria bajo un esquema de muestreo bietápico, estratificado de acuerdo al tamaño de finca para luego proceder por cuotas en siete provincias de la Sierra y Costa. Se determinaron las siguientes variables por SPL: número de integrantes de en las familia, nivel de instrucción, edad, sistema de riego, tipo de hato, cruce de ganado, razas y mezclas genéticas, superficie destinada para pasto, tipo de alimentación del ganado, precios y comercialización de los productos. Los SPL investigados dan cuenta de la diversidad de UPA’s que existen en el país, desarrollándose desde pequeñas extensiones como una forma de vida campesina con una economía de sobrevivencia hasta las de grandes extensiones en las que se ha tecnificado la producción y se obtienen altos niveles de rentabilidad, con reinversión en la actividad. Los criterios técnicos que manejan los productores también son diversos y dependen de la posibilidad económica para implementarlos, del conocimiento que se tiene sobre ellos y de los incentivos en el precio de la leche que pueden motivar su mejora.

Los estados legislan la calidad para mantener la salud de la población, la inocuidad y propiedades nutricionales de los alimentos, normativas que aplican sobre la producción e industrialización, por ello Ecuador implementó una política para mejorar la calidad de la leche cruda a través del precio. Para mantener la salud de la población los Estados legislan la calidad, inocuidad y propiedades nutricionales de los alimentos, regulaciones que se aplican en la producción e industrialización; por esta forma, Ecuador implementó una política de mejora de la calidad de la leche cruda a través del precio. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar el cumplimiento de los parámetros establecidos en el reglamento de pago por calidad de leche (RPCL) cruda bovina vigente en el Ecuador durante el periodo 2009-2018.

Global governance is a strategy to address the problems of food production and consumption, as well as to encourage responsible investments in agriculture. The FAO proposed 10 Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (CFS-RAI) which, like the SDGs, are guidelines that guide the design of policies; however, although they are not necessarily considered, there are semantic coincidences. The objective was to analyze to what extent the CFS-RAI Principles and SDGs 2 and 12 are being contemplated in Ecuador’s agrarian policy. The semantic and content analysis of the policy was carried out, coding nodes and categories from keywords using the Nvivo program. The results show that the policy incorporates Principles 2, 8, and 7 and is aligned with SDG 2 in terms of increased productivity and income (target 2.3) linked to international markets (target 2.b, 2.c), the provision of infrastructure, research, agricultural extension, technology (target 2.a), agrobiodiversity, and traditional knowledge (target 2.5). It is related to targets 12.1, 12.2, and 12a of SDG 12. It is concluded that responsible investment in agriculture following the CFS-RAI Principles is a viable way to promote the achievement of the SDGs. The agrarian policy must be reformulated to incorporate the Principles and targets of the SDGs that are not considered but are important. The findings give insight to researchers and policymakers working on this area.

Food production faces significant economic, social, and environmental challenges. The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (CFS-RAI), aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), provide a framework for implementing actions and investments in sustainable food production. Farmers are the primary investors in their agricultural activities, playing a fundamental role in the sustainability of rural territories. This study aims to analyze the rural development innovation system implemented by the Fundación Casa Campesina Cayambe and its alignment with the CFS-RAI principles and SDG. Focusing on 129 women producing healthy food within the Kayambi people and adopting a mixed-methods approach, including participant observation, interviews, and focus groups, the research examines the integration of public institutions, academia, and civil society in promoting sustainable rural development. The findings indicate that key innovation processes include a participatory, community-based, and gender-sensitive microcredit system implemented by the Foundation. Additionally, the technical and scientific support provided by the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana enhances investment capacity and knowledge acquisition, strengthening both individual and collective capacities for food production and commercialization. The study concludes that a decentralized and coordinated cooperation system, involving multiple territorial stakeholders, fosters the economic autonomy of female producers while adhering to the principles of CFS-RAI and the SDG.

Public investment in irrigation infrastructure is essential but costly, especially in developing countries. This study analyzes methodologies for prioritizing irrigation projects in Ecuador, selecting the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) from various multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. Four criteria and 15 subcriteria were defined based on the judgment of 12 experts. From a shortlist of 10 irrigation projects, selected from the Ministry of Agriculture's database, we applied the AHP via the free software Super Decisions. Among the environmental, territorial development, economic, and technical criteria, territorial development holds the highest weight, reflecting significant differences in potential social impact across projects. Our results demonstrate how AHP can guide transparent, equity-focused investment decisions and support sustainable development goals (SDG 2: Zero Hunger; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production) in Ecuador.

Globally, increasing competition for water and the effects of climate change have heightened the need to assess the sustainability of irrigation systems, particularly in strategic ecosystems such as the Andean páramos. However, there is a gap in methodological tools that integrate indicators adapted to community-based contexts and aligned with global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (RAI Principles). This study aims to define indicators for evaluating the sustainability of community-managed irrigation systems in Ecuador. The MESMIS framework and the Delphi technique were applied using a participatory approach that involved community leaders, technicians, academics, and students. A total of 31 indicators were defined, organized into seven attributes and five dimensions (environmental, social, economic, political, and technological), and aligned with nine SDGs and seven RAI Principles. The results reveal critical issues related to water use efficiency, governance, equity, and system resilience. The proposed framework enables a comprehensive and context-specific evaluation of irrigation systems and provides a practical tool for public policy design. In conclusion, this research helps bridge the existing methodological gap and reinforces the role of community irrigation systems as key pillars for sustainable and resilient agriculture.