The project manager at UABCS, Dr Alfredo Beltrán Morales, of the National Research System (SNI) of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), explained that the development of the project required testing of the techniques in organic farming in La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS). The Department of Agricultural Sciences at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), in partnership with the Produce Foundation of Baja California Sur, AC, developed a technology package for the production and improvement of the quality of organic mangoes, with the main goal of reactivating agriculture in the regions south of the entity.
The project started at the request of the producers of Valle de Santiago, in the municipality of Los Cabos, with the goal of producing organic, export quality mango crops and also reducing the environmental impact of conventional farming, since the techniques implemented meet with the requirements of the National Organic Program (NOP) required to access the US market.
The project manager at UABCS, Dr Alfredo Beltrán Morales, of the National Research System (SNI) of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), explained that the project required the testing of the organic farming techniques in a plot with 50 trees for 4 seasons.
The production of organic crops was higher by up to 10% compared to conventional crops, and the sustainable agricultural practices implemented to improve fertility, reduce soil erosion and increase the biodiversity resulted in healthy organic mangoes with greater nutritional qualities that were also free of contaminants.
Currently, the research team is negotiating with the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) to establish the requirements for the development of research that will corroborate the preliminary assessments pointing to a nutritional superiority of the mangoes from Baja California Sur compared with fruits of other states.
