Abstract

FUENTES-ACUNA, Nicolás Ricardo  and  MARCHANT, Carla. Do Agro-ecological Practices Contribute to Mountain Family Farming Sustainability? The Curarrehue Case, Araucania Region, Chile. Cuad. Desarro. Rural [online]. 2016, vol.13, n.78, pp.35-66. ISSN 0122-1450.  https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.cdri3-78.cpas.

The sustainability of family agriculture has gained interest in the current scenario of global environmental change. In this context, mountain farming systems are one of the least studied subjects, despite the fact that they allow for land management from which multiple traditional practices are maintained. This research analyzes, through the Mesmis methodology, the sustainability degree of family agriculture farms according to an agro-ecological and conventional approach. The purpose is to bring visibility to the contributions of family agriculture to the agro-ecological approach associated with land sustainability in mountain territories, particularly in the case of Curarrehue, in the Chilean Andean Araucania region. The results show that the use of agro-ecological practices, which are based on local knowledge, are mechanisms that allow for a better performance of family units in the environmental, economic, and social spheres.

Keywords : family agriculture; agro-ecological practices; sustainability; Mesmis; Andean lake Araucania.

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