CHARACTERISATION OF PRODUCERS USING WASTEWATER FOR IRRIGATION OF VEGETABLES AND FODDER

Abstract

The objective of this work was to characterise the production systems of water users of the Chilhuacán canal in Atlixco, Puebla, and to identify the role they play in the persistence of wastewater use in agriculture. The characteristics of the vegetable and forage production systems in the study area were identified, the factors that favour or limit the persistence of the use of sewage for crop irrigation, the level of knowledge of the producers regarding the effects of this practice was determined, as well as the attitude of the users to the polluting effects on their plots and health caused by the use of sewage. Through the application of a questionnaire and field visits to the producers' plots, a characterisation of the producers in the region was made. It was found that there are seven types of producers that differ from each other by the type of crop they specialise in (fodder and vegetables), as well as by the size of farmland they have (<3ha, ?6ha and >6 ha). Keywords: Health, pollution, ignorance, typology.