Estimación del efecto del cambio climático y la pérdida de agrobiodiversidad en la parroquia de Cunchibamba, cantón Ambato

Abstract

The agriculture sector is highly dependent on the climate, the increase in temperature and variations in the precipitation regime cause alterations in the productivity of this sector. Human activity, including agriculture, is largely responsible for global climate change; however, the agricultural sector also faces environmental impacts such as soil degradation, lack of water, loss of agrobiodiversity, among others. It is essential to understand that food and the means to produce it come from the existing biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, so using sustainable production methods could be an alternative to minimize the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector. The purpose of this research is to estimate the effect of climate change and the loss of agrobiodiversity in the parish of Cunchibamba in the canton of Ambato, for which a bibliographic and documented research was used, with a quantitative approach through the collection of information by means of the application of previously elaborated surveys that cover topics about agrobiodiversity, climate change and food security, which were carried out to farmers in the area. The population chosen for the research consisted of 210 farmers in the area. Based on the results obtained from the survey, it can be said that climate change significantly affects the agrobiodiversity of the Cunchibamba parish located in the Ambato canton, thus fulfilling the hypothesis H1, registering the loss of some varieties of crops, plants, amphibians, and birds. According to the data obtained, it was possible to identify a high degree of ignorance of the subject among the inhabitants of the population, which is why training focused on environmental education is of great importance for the sector.