Diagnosis of Agricultural Mechanization Competencies in the Central Zone of Manabí, Ecuador.

Mechanization is of great relevance in the development of the agricultural sector, as a tool that facilitates agricultural activities with quality and speed and a significant increase in the productivity and competitiveness of this sector, in the case of the province of Manabí in Ecuador this aspect becomes more relevant because this sector has a substantial weight in its economic and social life. The objective of the research was to carry out a diagnosis of agricultural mechanization competencies in the cantons of the central zone of Manabí. The methodology used consisted of several stages, which made it possible to evaluate the factors that characterize the competencies of agricultural mechanization in the area under study: human factor, machinery, operating conditions and infrastructure and financing. For the collection of information, surveys based on the factors under analysis were prepared and applied to agricultural producers and owners/entrepreneurs who provide mechanization services in the central zone of Manabí. The results of the diagnosis in the selected sample show that only 41% of the agricultural activities are being carried out with the use of agricultural machinery and that 20% of the producers have their own means to carry out agricultural activities, among other relevant aspects. As a whole, the results allowed concluding that the agricultural mechanization skills in the central zone of the province of Manabí present undesirable low levels that limit its productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]