ABSTRACT The Western Highlands of Guatemala are dominated by small-scale farming in indigenous communities. Mountain conditions and overpopulation have led to expansion of the agricultural frontier with consequent degradation, decreasing yields, poverty and malnutrition. Several non-government organizations (NGO) have carried out interventions to rescue the milpa system and diversify farming systems. We used the Framework for the Evaluation of Management Systems using Indicators (MESMIS) to evaluate farm sustainability after such interventions. We analysed data from four participating NGOs, interviewing 50 farmers with several years of collaboration as alternative systems, and 50 farmers of recent incorporation as reference systems. A trend towards moderate improvements was found in yields, food availability and reduced losses due to pests, diseases and climatic events. Given the environmental conditions and farm size it seems unlikely that most farms could achieve food self-sufficiency. In some cases, the increase in yields and food security correlate with a higher external input dependence. Even with agroecological interventions, external inputs might be needed. Direct indicators need to be measured in future studies for soil quality and erosion control. Even though the study cases showed regional differences, it was possible to develop a common, robust group of indicators, along with some case-specific ones.

中文翻译：

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危地马拉西部高地小规模农业系统农业生态干预的可持续性

摘要 危地马拉西部高地的土著社区以小规模农业为主。山区条件和人口过剩导致农业边界扩大，随之而来的是退化、产量下降、贫困和营养不良。一些非政府组织 (NGO) 已采取干预措施来拯救 milpa 系统并使农业系统多样化。我们使用指标管理系统评估框架 (MESMIS) 来评估此类干预后的农场可持续性。我们分析了来自四个参与的非政府组织的数据，采访了 50 名合作多年的农民作为替代系统，以及最近加入的 50 名农民作为参考系统。在产量、粮食供应和虫害造成的损失减少方面发现了适度改善的趋势，疾病和气候事件。鉴于环境条件和农场规模，大多数农场似乎不太可能实现粮食自给自足。在某些情况下，产量和粮食安全的增加与更高的外部投入依赖性相关。即使进行农业生态干预，也可能需要外部投入。在未来的土壤质量和侵蚀控制研究中需要测量直接指标。尽管研究案例显示出区域差异，但仍有可能制定出一组通用的、稳健的指标以及一些针对特定案例的指标。即使进行农业生态干预，也可能需要外部投入。在未来的土壤质量和侵蚀控制研究中需要测量直接指标。尽管研究案例显示出区域差异，但仍有可能制定出一组通用的、稳健的指标以及一些针对特定案例的指标。即使进行农业生态干预，也可能需要外部投入。在未来的土壤质量和侵蚀控制研究中需要测量直接指标。尽管研究案例显示出区域差异，但仍有可能制定出一组通用的、稳健的指标以及一些针对特定案例的指标。