Resumen

SMITH, Julia K et al. A participatory method for farm mapping and recollection of agricultural information applicable at different spatial scales. INCI [online]. 2009, vol.34, n.7, pp.479-486. ISSN 0378-1844.

A method for participatory mapping of farms and the gathering of agricultural information is proposed and tested, based on the knowledge of the local residents, who outline their farm boundaries and the internal management units and plots on orthorectified aerial images printed in a large format. The activity is carried out in collective workshops, where the participation of previously trained facilitators allows that a large number of participants be attended simultaneously. The resulting sectorized farm maps are used in the collection of agricultural information, linking it to known areas and allowing the estimation of productivity, area dedicated to different crops, animal stocking rates and irrigated areas, among other variables. The application of this method in two communities of the Venezuelan Andes generated maps of equivalent quality to those obtained with field methods and detailed, spatially referenced agricultural information. The use of this method is recommended as an efficient, reliable and economic alternative to generate digital farm maps, which could be used for implementing an agricultural information collection system, not only at local level, but also at the national one.

Palabras clave : Andes; Catastro Rural; Estadísticas Agrícolas; Mapas de Fincas; Mapeo Participativo; Venezuela.