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Agriculture
THE MINISTRY OF AGRICUL-
TURE, LIVESTOCK, AQUACUL-
TURE AND FISHERIES (MAGAP)
MAGAP promotes and implements structural changes
that aim to ensure alimentary food sufficiency and better
living standards. One of its goals is to eradicate poverty
in the country.
The Ministry is responsible for design, implementation
and evaluation of policies in the agricultural sector, as
well as their subsequent coordination with other eco-
nomic and social sectors. Moreover, this governmental
body aims to provide stability and transparency to en-
courage private investment in agriculture.
The Ministry defines its mission as governing the coun-
try’s agricultural policies through efficient Management,
Regulations and Training programs within the Agribusi-
ness and Agro-forestry sector in order to increase its
productivity and competitiveness. It aims to ensure con-
tinuous growth and development of the sector through
technical assistance and zoning actions to guarantee
the sustainability of agriculture.
By 2020, the MAGAP will implement a model based on
information and communication systems to ensure na-
tional food security, growth and equitable development.
This model will also generate added value, economic
profitability, social equity, as well as environmental sus-
tainability and cultural identity.
POLICY
1) CIALCA Program:
Agricultural policy of Ecuador is based on the theory
of short food circuits: a theory that the Ministry got
acquainted with in France and that is successfully ap-
plied in various countries such as France, Belgium,
Germany, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. It is not
simply based on the simple elimination of agricultural
trade intermediation, because sometimes it is neces-
sary and beneficial the presence of a mediator. One of
the aims of the theory is to reduce post harvest losses
of fresh products or food that sometimes riches 40%
in Ecuador. This is the amount that is wasted between
a producer and a consumer. In the case of grains, the
loss is of about 18% of the total harvest. This theory
defines a producer as an agent who takes care of the
production within the area nearest to a consumer, with
no more than 2 intermediaries in the chain, thereby
forcing producers to maintain the quality of their crops.
The Ministry is organizing rural fairs in cities which are
characterized by encouraging “clean” and responsi-
ble agriculture, free of fertilizers, pesticides and other
chemicals, preserving the quality of food and generat-
ing added value.
The MAGAP has taken a strategic decision to direct
its policy towards small and medium-size farmers that
represent 92% of the country’s agricultural sector. Pre-
viously, the Ministry was almost exclusively focused on
the agro-export and large-scale business agricultural
production. These 92% is the percentage of food that
the Ecuadorians consume and that comes from small-
scale agriculture with less than 4 hectares. As an ex-
ample, 80% of all the banana producers have less than
10 acres and 7% have less than 20 hectares, whereas
banana is the 1st country’s export sector. 98% of the
cocoa production is in the hands of producers that own
4 acres as an average, being cocoa production the 2nd
largest export sector in the country. That does not mean
that the Ministry fails to encourage large producers and
exporters, which are very important for the country.
Other strategic programs of the Ministry:
2) Technological Innovation:
Objectives:
a. Increase productivity
b. Achieve food sovereignty
c. Improve seeds
d. Recover the soil´s quality
e. Invest in innovation in machinery
f. Recover fish production capacity with local species
and with Ecuadorian technology.
3) School of Agrarian Revolution (ERA):
These schools were created in 2010 and include more
than 400 technicians from the Ministry around the
country. Seek to avoid the transfer of technology from
other countries and build the technology based on the
practical knowledge of Ecuadorians.
The National Development Bank has a program to finance the
acquisition of tractors