Análisis de la sostenibilidad utilizando indicadores de la metodología MESMIS en unidades productivas ovinas de la subregión oriente o metropolitana y suroriente del departamento de Norte de Santander.

Abstract

A study of the determination of sustainability in production systems (PS) in ovines in the eastern or metropolitan and the southeastern subregions of the department of Norte de Santander is presented. The main objective was the application and use of sustainability criteria and indicators. The applied research method was quantitative descriptive, characterizing four (4) commercial exploitations as a representative sample of semi-stabled and stabled exploitation processes. This selection of PS is under the type of non-probabilistic sample for convenience, which allows selecting the population under study, given the characteristics of access availability, producer’s collaboration and budget for the research execution. For that purpose, the methodology “Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resources Management Systems incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS)” was applied. Criteria for the construction of indicators were defined and with these, assessing the fulfillment of the economic, environmental and social dimensions in a 0-5 scale, taking three (3) as a threshold value. The indicators were unified and weighted prioritizing them participatively with the producers. These indicators allowed to determine the current state of sustainability, obtaining the average Global Sustainability Index (GSI) in (3.69), showing a good level of average compliance in the environmental and social dimensions, with an assessment of (3.94) for the four studied systems. It is worth to mention that one of the studied exploitations presented (0.55) points above the average value for (GSI), which showed its atypicality in relation to the other three productive processes. On the other hand, there are points to be improved in the economic dimension in the remaining production systems, with an average valuation of (2.78), due to weaknesses in aspects such as: diversity in production; need for external supplies; diversity in sales and development of accounting and financial records. The following are found as general potentials in the exploitations: excellent genetics, degree of associativity and level of training, which will allow them in the near future to enter new markets and fully comply with the dimensions of sustainability.