Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

Economic Indicators, Capacity of the Ecosystem of Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia Megacantha) and Environmental Services in Teotihuacan, México to Supply Urban Consumption.
Hermenegildo R. Losada, Jorge E. Vieyra, Lorena Luna, José Cortés, Juan M. Vargas

Abstract
A study of prickly pear was carried out with 100 producers of the fruit using a semi-structured survey to ascertain the nature of cultivation and economic environment. The Prickly pear region includes an area of 12,000 ha, planted with prickly pear variety Opuntia amiclaea, Opuntia violacea and Opuntia matudae. The size of the orchard in the villages studied was of 1-20 ha, with a predominance of 1-3 ha. The productive life for the prickly pear orchard varied between 20 and 60 years. The cow manure is used as a source of organic matter and the dose applied depends on the amount of organic wastes produced by the cattle and age of the cactus (an estimated 500 t ha-1). The average volume of fruit production per ha is 10 to 15 t of prickly pear. In economic analysis of gross margin was U.S. $ 1,920.00 per ha, each farmer obtained an average annual gross income of $ 5.376 for an average production. 44.7% (U.S. $ 12.672 million) of these profits are distributed initially in the population, by way of inputs and labor. Sustainability factors equivalent to providing environmental services are discussed.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v6n1a9