Ecological Bases, Sustainability, and Current Trends in Traditional Agriculture in the Venezuelan High Andes

Abstract

The traditional land-use system in the agricultural belt of the Venezuelan High Andes (3,000-4,000 m) includes extended fallows (from 7 to more than 20 years) alternating with short cultivation periods (1-4 years). This management produces a mosaic landscape where potato or cereal fields coexist with recuperating fallows of various ages and with land remaining uncultivated because of limitations of slope or stoniness. This land-use strategy maintains a high natural diversity in a way that allows an acceptable productivity without the use of mineral fertilizers. The ecological base underlying the functioning of the agricultural system is analyzed, mainly in relation to the recuperation of nutrients during the fallow periods. The ecological sustainability is discussed in light of the negligible erosion rates and the maintenance of high levels of soil organic matter. The massive introduction of chemical fertilizers in recent years induced important changes that are exemplified by the case study of the land-use strategy of a farmer.