Characterization and environmental inventory of greenhouse crops in Tenjo, Colombia

Abstract

Objective: Characterize and inventory types of crops and soils, practices related to irrigation, collection strategies, and product marketing to determine the environmental impacts of greenhouse crops in the municipality of Tenjo, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study that used the Characterization and inventory methodology with matrix techniques, checklist and interview. Results: The most important findings allowed us to establish that there are about 60 greenhouse crops of flowers, vegetables, and aromatic plants in the municipality. Some 361.62 hectares cultivated under the greenhouse modality were registered, which represent 3 % of the soils of the municipality. Discussion and conclusions: A low level of associativity between farmers was found, which limits the possibilities of opening to new forms of markets such as peasant stores, and a greater contribution to local consumption is needed, which is presented as a tool to guarantee the sustainability of the municipality. The use and conservation of the soil with sustainable techniques and with greater technology in the greenhouse infrastructure is recommended because it was identified that water consumption is the most significant environmental impact in this type of crops.