Economic Impact of Soil Losses in Pineapple Crops (Ananas Comosus L. Merr) In the Valle Del Cauca, Colombia

Abstract

Soil erosion generates nutrient and crop yield losses and environmental and economic impacts. The research evaluated the economic impact of soil and nutrient losses in pineapple cultivation in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. A total of nine runoff plots were established in the main producing municipalities, where the evaluation was carried out during two complete rainy periods (2019–2020). Subsequently, the loss of soil as well as nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe ) was calculated, and its economic value was determined by the replacement cost method. Losses of clay and organic matter were included in the analysis. Soil losses varied from 40 to 261 t/ha/year, which corresponds to moderate to very high degrees of erosion, with Dagua being the most affected municipality. It was found that among the farms that showed the greatest losses of nutrients, the most affected were potassium, iron, and manganese with values of up to 535 kg/ha, 330 kg/ha, and 177 kg/ha, respectively; however, at a general level, the main losses occurred for potassium and nitrogen. Finally, the economic losses ranged from US$ 1266.15 to more than US$ 5908.70 per plot, representing losses of up to US$ 14367177.80 for the total area planted with pineapple, which implies serious economic repercussions for farmers in the region.