Innovations Driving Spanish Mango Orchards towards Environmental Sustainability: a Technology-Adoption Analysis

Mango growing, which began to spread in the southeastern coastal area of the Iberian Peninsula in the 1980s, today covers a surface area of roughly 1,000 ha. It currently occupies the third place in tropical fruit crops in the area, after the avocado and cherimoya. Besides adopting the varietal choices and growing methods most adequate to the Mediterranean climate, which is on the limit of the specie's climatic range, in recent years a variety of technological innovations have been adopted in mango production, some of which favour its environmental sustainability. Among the practices adopted having a positive impact on the environment, the following have been identified: several non-tilling or conservation tilling techniques without the use (or with reduced use) of herbicides; flower pruning; use of brush-cutters; mulching; and ecological as well as organic production systems. The present paper is a continuation of a series of research studies carried out within the framework of the SC99-061 INIA Project of the Spanish National Research Program, in which the situation of mango-producing enterprises is analysed in relation to the adoption of environmentally friendly technological innovations in the tropical sector. After identifying these technological innovations, we seek to determine the factors favouring the adoption of each one, by adjusting a series of binomial Probit models and bivariate contingency table (chi(2)). Among these factors, both structural and functional characteristics of the enterprises are taken into account, as well as the farmer's socio-cultural profile. The basic information is derived from a survey of mango growers in the area. Based on the results, a series of conclusions have been drawn and some recommendations proposed, to foster optimal technological innovations in mango cultivation for a safe environment.