Sustainability of the production units of the amaranto crop (Amaranthus caudatus L.)

Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.), is considered a marginal crop in Peru agricultural systems. The aim of the research was to determine the sustainability of the amaranth production units in the department of Ancash. Surveys with structured questions were applied to a stratified sample of 115 farmers from five communities to find out the current situation and trends in amaranth production in the economic, environmental and social dimensions. The data were standardized for each indicator by transformation on a scale of 1 to 5; 5 being the highest sustainability value and 1 the lowest. A productive unit of amaranth was considered to be sustainable if it is greater than 3, called the minimum sustainability threshold. The general sustainability index for the amaranth production units was unsustainable as it did not reach the minimum scale of 3 in the multidimensional analysis.