Agronomic, economic and ecological aspects of the papaya (Carica papaya) production in Tabasco, Mexico

The cultivation of papaya is important in the tropic because it provides source of income to the farmer within a short time. Statistical data were obtained from farmers located in the Chontalpa, Rios and Centro-Sierra regions; the size of the survey was 67 farmers. The study shows the results of the farmers’ problem in a drastic reduction of their productivity because of the virosis and low prices in commercialization. The farmers were classified into three levels of technology, “low”, “middle” and “high”. The first one covers 88% of the farmers in seasonal conditions in contrast with the high technology that concentrates 4.5% in irrigation conditions. According to the technology used, the fertilizer shows more yields. Economically, the high technology had an internal tax return of 0.43 in comparison with the low technology of 0.25, which means that the investment is recovered with different yields. However, the use of high technology makes the system more competitive. Key words