Resources of an agroecosystem

The agricultural production units are natural spaces modified to massify the production of crops and in this way obtain economic income and obtain the necessary food to guarantee the food security of the countries. In that sense, taking into account that it is an agro-ecosystem, some resources that are essential in these spaces should be considered to guarantee an adequate yield and production of crops, among these resources we can mention the natural resources that cover elements such as land, climate, biodiversity among others that are sometimes exploited indiscriminately and that cause the natural imbalance of said agro-productive space.

According to the aforementioned, in the agricultural production units, aspects such as the topography of the farm can be considered, that is, if they are flat lands or with a certain inclination, the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil, to know if they are soils with good drainage or if, on the contrary, they retain a large amount of water, in the same way to know if, from the nutritional point of view, the production of the chosen crop can provide the necessary elements, also consider the climatic elements such as temperature, precipitation,, solar radiation that will help to choose the type of crop that can be sown. In the same way, considering the climatic variability that may exist in the geographical area throughout the year, in the case that it is desired to establish livestock farming, it is important to know the natural forages of the area and of course the potential forage crops that can be adapted to the conditions established in the area.

On the other hand, the human resource that is available on the farm is generally important these compounds by the people who live and work within the farm and manage the resources that are in it for obtaining the vegetable items. According to some researchers such as Altieri, who is considered the father of agroecology, there are some factors that affect human resources, including the number of people that the farm has to support in relation to the workforce and its productivity, the flexibility of the workforce to adapt to seasonal variations in labor demand, that is, the availability of hired labor and the degree of cooperation between farmers.

There is also another resource that is the economic one that is generated depending on the goods and services created, purchased or provided by the people associated with the property to facilitate the management of natural resources for agricultural production. These resources will enter the farm depending on the optimal management of the farm for this, there must be a balance in the cost-benefit ratio; that is to say, to look for management alternatives that do not generate many expenses and that maintain adequate productive yields of the crops, in addition to this, the market to which the harvested items will be directed should be considered, that is, to have an established market in the area where the fruit, vegetable, meat, milk, among others, can be marketed.

Dear readers, the economic resources that enter the farm will be to a large extent those that enter by the sale of the item that is produced in the production unit either agricultural or livestock such as meat and milk, many times these products are marketed to industries for processing. The manager who makes an efficient management with what he has in his agricultural ecosystem can make use of the waste left on the farm for the elaboration of alternatives that serve for the fertilization of the plantations.