Gearing Present Oil Palm (<i>Elaeis guineensis</i> Jacq.) Agroecosystems in the Soconusco, Mexico Towards Sustainable and Good Agricultural Practices

Dialectic interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG´s), the 2030 Agenda, planetary boundaries (PB) and good agricultural practices (GAP) in agroecosystems with oil palm have rarely been discussed. The main goal of this publication is analyzing reflections and realities about interactions between the 17 SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, nine PB and GAP in agroecosystems with oil palm. The methodological approach included the results of the different field practices during the First International Course of agroecological oil palm production in the Soconusco and consisted of a documentary analysis and focus group discussions. This offered possibilities to analyze qualitative and participative results of the traffic light system methodology (TLSM) and its key issues. The area of oil palm growing in the Soconusco and Istmo-Costa covers 4.37 % and was planted without burning of forestland. The SDG´s that are most strengthened with correct and timely management of the 13 key issues of TLSM, are: SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG3 (Good Health), SDG15 (Life on Earth), SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG13 (Climate Action) and SDG1 (Ending Poverty), being addressed in 100%, 69%, 69%, 54%, 54% and 31% of the key issues of the TLSM, respectively. Five PB reflect the realities in the Soconusco. For the biosphere integrity in the oil palm agroecosystems of the Soconusco, the oil palm stands out with growth recordings up to 10 m eco-height and 100000 m³/ha eco-volume, outperforming the annual oil crops sunflower, rapeseed and soybean. Similarly, oil palm dominates the three annual crops for their respective Eco-capacity, decreasing from 41.54 for oil palm down to 0.3 for soybean. The biochemical flow in the oil palm agroecosystems of the Soconusco reveals that the extraction of N from the soil to produce one ton of palm oil is 47 kg, which is 110.6%, 104.3% and 570% lower than that extracted to produce one ton oil of rapeseed, sunflower and soybean, respectively. Additionally, one ton of palm oil extracts 8 kg of P from the soil, which is lesser than that extracted to produce one ton oil from rapeseed, sunflower and soybean. In all intercropping agroecosystems simulations in the Soconusco based on oil palm the most representative indicators of the combined intercrop assortment, are eco-capacity and/or recycling indices as e.g. the K-Olson index of total yearly litter fall. Eco-volume remains a major yardstick for monitoring the partial fulfillment of the five most relevant PB.