Evaluación de la sostenibilidad de un sistema de producción frutihortícola en la transición agroecológica en la provincia de Jujuy, Argentina

The aim of this article is to evaluate the sustainability of a fruit and vegetable production system in agroecological transition, in the province of Jujuy (Argentina). The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) methodology, developed by FAO, was applied; this tool evaluates the performance of agroecological systems in different dimensions: environmental, social and cultural, economic, health and nutrition, and governance aspects. Firstly, through an interview with the producer, 36 indices were collected to characterise the current level of transition; it was observed that the highest values are related to resilience, efficiency and circular economy, the feature with the lowest score is governance, the level of transition is evaluated as “medium”. Secondly, quantitative and qualitative variables were observed in relation to 10 criteria and five dimensions of sustainability: land tenure (Governance); productivity, income and added value (Economy); exposure to pesticides and dietary diversity (Health and nutrition); women empowerment and youth employment opportunity (Society and culture); agricultural biodiversity and soil health (Environment). The system presents a desirable situation in relation to agricultural biodiversity and soil health, but is acceptable with respect to women's empowerment and secure land tenure, while being unsustainable in economic aspects and in terms of employment opportunities for young people.