El subaprovechamiento del suelo del sistema de andenería de la comunidad campesina San Pedro de Laraos, Huarochirí, Lima

Abstract

Highland terracing systems are a technology used in the ancient Andes to expand the agricultural frontier; then, that technology became an important source of food for the Incas. Research shows that the productivity of land was due to the form of construction of the platforms, but there are few studies that analyze soil fertility. In order to demonstrate the fertility in the terraces, soil physical and chemical properties were compared in three different sectors: terraces at rest, abandoned terraces and a hillside with technology. They all belong to the terracing system of San Pedro de Laraos town, in Huarochiri, Lima. In all three sectors loam predominates. The soil pH is within the range of high bioavailability of most nutrients (5.5 to 7.5), except for two points on the slope without platforms. The soil electrical conductivity presents ranges that qualify the three areas as no saline (< 2 dS / m). The organic matter is in the appropriate percentages (3-5%), especially on the terraces at rest, which also have the highest content of NPK. In conclusion, the soil of the three zones does not differ significantly in their physical parameters, but it differs in the chemical parameters, especially in the content of macronutrients; the better range is in terraces at rest. However, the community of Laraos does not take advantage of it soil fertility; actually, most of their terracing system is abandoned and the structures are in a deterioration process.