EVALUACIÓN AGROPRODUCTIVA DE CUATRO SECTORES DE LA PROVINCIA DE PASTAZA EN LA AMAZONÍA ECUATORIANA.

The Ecuadorian Amazonia suffers mankind intervention through indiscriminately cutting trees, introducing low-quality pastures to livestock and developing an extremely rudimentary agricultural activity. Consequently, indigenous tree species have been lost in the region and soils are affected by a wrong agronomic management. From February to July, 2007, in collaboration with the Amazonian State University, a diagnosis was performed on the agricultural productive situation of Pastaza province in the Ecuadorian Amazonia, including the observation and evaluation of soil and climatic situation, soil characterization and exchange of opinions with the indigenous communities dwelling in this area, with the objective of drawing up strategies to introduce and increase both species in danger of extinction and plant-producing techniques of agriculture and forest significance, as well as soil preservation and recovery. The diagnosis concluded there was an arbitrary rate of forest exploitation using inappropriate forest techniques, so that valuable forest species are lost; there are not any reforestation nurseries, livestock is rather primitive and soil quality is damaged, agricultural crop yields are very low because of acid soils with low fertility, great amount of heavy metals and a high percentage of bad quality organic matter leading to erosive processes in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]