Abstract

PADILLA-BERNAL, Luz E.; LARA-HERRERA, Alfredo  and  VELEZ-RODRIGUEZ, Alberto. Sustainability and environmental performance of protected agriculture: the case of Zacatecas. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2020, vol.11, n.2, pp.289-302.  Epub Mar 15, 2021. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v11i2.1766.

The design of a public program that involves agro-environmental measures requires knowledge of producer opinions and applied production practices. In this work the opinions on sustainability in the production units (UPs) under protected agriculture in the state of Zacatecas are classified, their environmental practices are determined, as well as drivers and barriers for the adoption of the agro-environmental program. It is intended to support strategies for the design of public policies that contribute to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Mexico. The information was obtained; through a questionnaire applied to owners or technicians of the UPs during the months of May to December 2016. The information was processed; through, analysis of main components and cluster analysis. The environmental performance index (IDA) was also obtained. The opinions on sustainability in the UPs show two great visions: one that is based on considering internal aspects of the organization and access to markets and the other that has a relaxed view on the care of the environment, considering for these purposes less relevance to the aspects of market, organizational and social. The IDA showed that in the UPs there is still a long way to go to achieve sustainable production systems. For the design and implementation of an agro-environmental program, it is suggested to condition direct support to producers to the establishment of sustainable agricultural practices or the acquisition of environmentally friendly infrastructure.

Keywords : environmental management; greenhouses; sustainable agricultural practices.