title: A multi-criteria index for ecological evaluation of tropical agriculture in southeastern Mexico.
abstract: The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional agricultural systems, pesticide use, method and frequency of tillage. We monitored the ecological state of 52 agricultural plots to test the performance of the index. The variables were hierarchically aggregated with simple mathematical algorithms, if-then rules, and rule-based fuzzy models, yielding the final multi-criteria index with values from 0 (worst) to 1 (best conditions). We validated the model through independent evaluation by experts, and we obtained a linear regression with an r2 = 0.61 (p = 2.4e-06, d.f. = 49) between index output and the experts' evaluation.
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Campeche, Dpto. Agroecología, Campeche, México.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huerta
authors.affiliation: Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, División de Ciencias Biológicas, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México; Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Natuurplaza (Mercator 3), Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kampichler
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Campeche, Dpto. Sustainability Sciences, Campeche, México.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ochoa-Gaona
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Campeche, Dpto. Sustainability Sciences, Campeche, México.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Campeche, Dpto. Agroecología, Campeche, México.
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Daumas
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn - INRES, Bonn, Germany; Wageningen University and Research Center - Alterra, Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Violette
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Geissen
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D000465:Algorithms; D044822:Biodiversity; D064308:Ecological Parameter Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis; D008800:Mexico; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D010575:Pesticides; D012987:Soil