Juan Pablo Urdánigo Zambrano

Farm typologies assume discrete groups, although structural heterogeneity in Amazonian cattle systems may follow continuous gradients. We evaluated whether 164 dual-purpose cattle farms in the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador, were better represented by mutually exclusive types or continuous archetypal configurations and whether these configurations were economically differentiated. Factor analysis of mixed data, permutation-based dimensional retention, clusterability assessment, archetypal analysis, bootstrap resampling, economic validation, and repeated cross-validation were integrated. Two structural dimensions explained 40.1% of inertia: livestock intensification and infrastructure, and farm scale and land use; agreement with multiple factor analysis was high (Procrustes R² = 0.990). The Gap statistic supported k = 1, providing no evidence for defensible discrete farm groups. Archetypal analysis identified three continuous configurations: lower-input, livestock intensification, and large-scale land-use. Many farms occupied intermediate positions, showing varying affinities to the three configurations rather than exclusive membership in one. Greater affinity to livestock intensification was associated with the highest annual net benefit and pasture opportunity cost, whereas large-scale land-use showed intermediate economic performance. Predictive accuracy remained modest despite lower errors for archetype-based models. Continuous livestock archetypes provide a screening framework for differentiated management, but farm decisions require current economic, productive, and parcel information.

Agroforestry integrates environmental, climatic, productive, and socioeconomic dimensions. The position of rural livelihoods within its scientific structure remains still characterized. This study evaluated the temporal evolution, conceptual organization, domain representation, and geographical and economic distribution of global agroforestry research using 5711 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 1979 and 2025. Scientific production increased markedly, with 4133 articles published during 2013 to 2025, accounting for 72.37% of the corpus. Thematic evolution showed a shift from early agronomic topics toward biodiversity, ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, and climate change. Multiple Correspondence Analysis of harmonized Author Keywords identified five clusters, with the first two dimensions explaining 39.76% of total inertia. Livelihood-related terms were embedded within the central agroforestry and sustainability cluster under the analytical configuration applied, and this pattern was maintained after excluding corpus-defining search-anchor terms. Production, silvopastoral, and agronomic management had the highest proportional contribution (57.92%), whereas environmental and biodiversity (43.88%), livelihoods and socioeconomic (43.81%), and climate, carbon and soil dimensions (42.50%) occurred at comparable proportions. Fractional affiliation analysis indicated that all domains occurred across regions and income groups, with livelihoods and socioeconomic research showing larger fractional contributions from Africa and lower-middle-income countries.

Farm typologies commonly assume discrete groups, although structural heterogeneity in Amazonian cattle systems may instead follow continuous gradients. We evaluated whether 164 dual-purpose cattle farms in the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador, were better represented by mutually exclusive types or continuous archetypal configurations, and whether these configurations were economically differentiated. Factor analysis of mixed data, permutation based dimensional retention, clusterability assessment, archetypal analysis, bootstrap resampling, economic validation, and repeated cross-validation were integrated. Two structural dimensions explained 40.1% of inertia and represented livestock intensification and infrastructure, and farm scale and land use; agreement with multiple factor analysis was high (Procrustes² = 0.990). The Gap statistic supported k = 1, providing no evidence for defensible discrete farm groups. Archetypal analysis instead identified three continuous configurations: lower-input, livestock intensification, and large-scale land-use. Farm positions frequently combined these reference configurations rather than showing exclusive membership. Greater affinity to livestock intensification was associated with the highest annual net benefit and pasture opportunity cost, whereas large-scale land-use showed intermediate economic performance. Predictive accuracy remained modest despite lower errors for models based on archetypes. Continuous livestock archetypes provide a screening framework for differentiated management interventions, but farm decisions require current economic, productive, and parcel information.

Agroforestry is widely promoted as a socioecological strategy that can integrate biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, sustainable production, and rural development, yet the relative position of rural livelihoods within the scientific structure of the field remains insufficiently understood. This study evaluated the temporal evolution, conceptual organization, and geographical and economic distribution of global agroforestry research, with particular attention to the autonomy of livelihood-related research. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using 5,713 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 1976 and 2025. Records were classified into four non-exclusive analytical domains: biodiversity/conservation, climate-carbon-soil, production/silvopastoral-agronomic systems, and livelihoods/socioeconomic dimensions. The analysis combined temporal bibliometric indicators, semantic normalization of Author Keywords, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Sankey mapping, domain proportion tests, chord diagrams, and chi-square tests. Agroforestry research expanded substantially and became thematically more diversified. Climate-carbon-soil and production/silvopastoral-agronomic systems showed the highest proportional contributions, whereas rural livelihoods were visible but did not form an autonomous conceptual domain. Instead, livelihood-related terms were embedded within a broader socioecological/conservation cluster. Livelihoods/socioeconomic research was more strongly represented in Africa, Asia, and lower-middle- and low-income contexts. These findings indicate that rural livelihoods are present in agroforestry research but remain less conceptually autonomous than environmental, climate-related, and production-oriented domains.

Soil contamination by heavy metals represents a critical challenge for agricultural productivity and food security in tropical regions, where the intensive use of chemical inputs increases the accumulation of persistent elements such as cadmium (Cd). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have emerged as a strategy to enhance plant growth and increase tolerance to heavy metal stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ef fect of three types of mycorrhizal inocula (liquid, solid, and soil-derived) on the initial growth of Oryza sativa L. exposed to dif ferent Cd concentrations under controlled nursery conditions. The experiment was conducted over a 25-day period using a factorial design and assessing aboveground and belowground biometric variables, as well as Cd extraction capacity. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison tests, while Cd extraction response was evaluated by linear regression. The results demonstrated a dif ferential response of O. sativa depending on the type of mycorrhizal inoculum. The solid inoculum maximized aboveground performance, producing 18.5 functional leaves and the highest fresh biomass (2.85 g) at 30 mg kg–¹ Cd (p < 0.05). In contrast, the soil-derived inoculum enhanced fresh root development, reaching values close to 6.0 g at the same Cd concentration, whereas the liquid inoculum promoted the greatest stem diameter (p < 0.05), although with lower biomass accumulation. Plant height did not show significant dif ferences among treatments (p > 0.05). Cadmium extraction showed a positive relationship with metal concentration, with the regression model explaining 58.4% of the observed variability (adjusted R² = 0.58; p = 0.010), and higher accumulation occurring in foliar tissues. Overall, the results indicate that AMF modulate the physiological response of rice under Cd stress.

This study evaluated the vertical gradients of soil physical and chemical properties in maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems in the cantons of Mocache and Ventanas, Ecuador, with the aim of analyzing the influence of depth (0 and 30 cm) and geographic location on soil structure. A total of 124 samples were analyzed using generalized linear models and non-parametric tests. Textural fractions did not show significant differences between depths (p > 0.05); however, bulk density increased significantly at 30 cm (p = 0.01), as did soil pH (p < 0.01). Differences between cantons were detected for pH, with higher values observed in Mocache. The Depth × Canton interaction was significant for clay content, indicating subsurface textural differentiation. Principal component analysis explained 54.6% of the total variability in the first two axes, structured by gradients associated with compaction and chemical redistribution. These findings confirm the presence of vertical and spatial heterogeneity in tropical agricultural soils and identify structural patterns that should be considered when planning management practices aimed at controlling compaction and optimizing soil fertility in maize production systems.

Open data reuse has become a strategic driver of the digital transformation of agricultural, livestock, and environmental systems. In this industry yet significant disparities persist in regions with limited technological and institutional capacity. This global scoping reviews systematically maps providing the scientific evidence on open data reuse and examines its thematic, geographic, and socioeconomic dimensions in relation to sustainability, food security, and biodiversity conservation. The search, conducted in Scopus for peer-reviewed articles from 1993 to 2025, identified 2863 records, of which 1261 met the eligibility criteria. Evidence charting combined Bibliometric mapping, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, and a modified Delphi method to characterize thematic domains and research alignment. Results reveal three dominant global clusters: Intelligent Digital Agriculture & Sustainability, Geospatial Monitoring & Land Management, and Biodiversity & Livestock Dynamics alongside persistent geographic inequalities that favor high-income regions. A case analysis of Ecuador illustrates how open data reuse is emerging in a peripheral context shaped by structural constraints. Overall, findings show that open data reuse reduces informational asymmetries, enables cross scale environmental and production monitoring, and supports data driven innovation for climate resilience. The proposed BiblioConsensus Framework offers a transferable basis for policy design, capacity building, and international collaboration aimed at strengthening inclusive global open data ecosystems.

La gestión ineficiente de residuos sólidos urbanos (RSU) representa una fuente creciente de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI), especialmente en entornos rurales con escasa infraestructura formal. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo caracterizar los RSU generados en la parroquia El Paraíso La 14, cantón El Carmen (Ecuador), evaluar la percepción ciudadana respecto a su manejo y estimar las emisiones de CO₂-eq asociadas a distintos escenarios de disposición y reciclaje. Se aplicaron encuestas estructuradas, análisis multivariado de componentes principales, árboles de decisión y un modelo de balance de GEI basado en créditos y débitos. Los resultados mostraron una alta generación de residuos orgánicos y de jardinería, junto con una baja tasa de reciclaje formal (23%), suplida parcialmente por el sector informal. Las variables predictoras más relevantes fueron la frecuencia de limpieza y la disposición a separar residuos en el hogar. En cuanto a emisiones, el escenario actual presenta un balance neto positivo, mientras que escenarios de reciclaje optimizado reducen significativamente las emisiones de CO₂-eq. Se concluye que la implementación de estrategias integradas de educación ambiental, separación en origen y mejora de la recolección diferenciada podría transformar el sistema local de gestión de RSU en una herramienta efectiva de mitigación climática

La pesca artesanal en la provincia de Los Ríos (Ecuador) emplea diversas artes de pesca, cuyos impactos socioecológicos no han sido cuantificados integralmente. Este estudio evaluó 6 artes y métodos de pesca (redes de estacada "palizadas", tapes de río con paño, redes de enmalle monofilamento y multifilamento, línea de mano y atarraya) mediante una matriz de indicadores biológicos, físicos y socioeconómicos. Los resultados revelaron un predominio de impactos negativos (-92) sobre los positivos (70), siendo las redes de enmalle monofilamento (prohibidas, pero ampliamente usadas) y los tapes de rio con paño las de mayor impacto negativo. Las artes más sostenibles (atarraya, línea de mano) representaron solo el 13% del uso. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre impactos positivos y negativos según la prueba t (p= 0.61) y Wilcoxon (p= 0.459). Pese a la regulación existente (ojos de malla, vedas, tallas mínimas), se identificó incumplimiento generalizado, especialmente por pescadores independientes, exacerbando los impactos ecológicos. El estudio propone: (1) fiscalización adaptativa que considere las limitaciones económicas de los pescadores, (2) incentivos para la transición a artes sostenibles, y (3) protocolos para minimizar impactos de métodos ancestrales como las palizadas. Estos resultados aportan evidencia cuantitativa para equilibrar la preservación cultural, la seguridad alimentaria y la conservación de ecosistemas acuáticos tropicales.

La actividad turística es un elemento fundamental para el desarrollo económico y social de Ecuador. Se refiere a todas las acciones y servicios relacionados con la visita y el disfrute de atractivos turísticos, esto incluye tanto la promoción y comercialización de los atractivos turísticos del país. (Ministerio de Turismo de Ecuador, 2018) La investigación tiene como objetivo inventariar, clasificar y jerarquizar los atractivos y servicios del cantón Naranjal, para diseñar un mapa temático turístico, a través de la visualización los recursos existentes en la zona, como sitios históricos, áreas naturales y festividades culturales. El estudio se fundamenta en la recopilación de información detallada de los sitios turísticos. Se realizó, el mapeo geográfico y valoración de los sitios de visita, siguiendo la metodología para Jerarquización de Atractivos Turísticos del Ministerio de Turismo de Ecuador. Según los hallazgos, Naranjal posee 11 atractivos turísticos, de los cuales 7 se clasifican como culturales y 4 como natuales. Se destaca la Hacienda Cacao y Mango, catalogada como infraestructura arquitectónica de tipo cultural y como el único atractivo de jerarquía III del cantón. Para el diseño del mapa, se considera el uso del software de sistemas de información geográfica Qgis 3.34, se toma como referencia, modelos de mapas temáticos usados en turismo, así como también los elementos más representativos usados visualmente.