Valle del Cauca: fertile land for basil

Researcher and professor appointed to the School of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering EIDENAR, Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez, one of the authors of the research. Credit: Édgar Bejarano, Communications Office, Faculty of Engineering.

In recent years, studies have shown the growth of basil production for medicinal and aromatic uses, in addition to the impact that its cultivation could have on communities in terms of social and organizational fabric. A study conducted by researchers from the Universidad del Valle sought to determine which of the areas that comprise the department are the most suitable for this crop. Its results are expected to become reference material for decision-makers and governmental entities to carry out actions which favor the production of small and medium farmers and, in time, position basil cultivation as a source of profitable income for the communities in these territories.  

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Locating the best soils in the department for basil production 

Despite being used mainly for the cultivation of sugar cane, the lands of municipalities located in Valle del Cauca are also fertile and favorable for the planting and production of other valuable products, as in the case of basil. Although there are communities dedicated to its cultivation on a smaller scale, there was a need to establish which of these territories were more suitable for such activities. Seeking to answer this question, researchers from the Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) María del Mar Esponda Bernal and Robert Santiago Andrade, together with the researcher and appointed professor of the School of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering EIDENAR, Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez and Eduar Fernando Aguirre Gonzáles, researcher and appointed professor of the Regionalization System, Yumbo Campus, and member of the Quantitative Finance Research Group, GIFINC, conducted a research study, the results of which were recently published in the specialized journal "Agricultural Systems".  

For this research, two working methodologies were combined. On the one hand, there was the multicriteria analysis, a methodology whose uses date back to the 1970s, and which is used to analyze highly complex problems, in which a large number of parameters are related. In the case of the study applied to Valle del Cauca, the objective was to identify the most suitable areas for basil cultivation, taking into account the following factors: altitude, drainage, sunshine, relative humidity, precipitation, temperature and slope. Although this analysis can be used without considering the variable related to the space where it is carried out, which favors its use for other studies, in this case the space was taken as a reference, given the objective of the group of researchers.   

On the other hand, the Suitable Crop Location Index (SCLI), built specifically for this study, was used, with the participation of members of academia, the productive sector and farmers from the territories. "It was important that the panel of experts included people from all sectors. We believe that this mix of knowledge makes our study striking. We used the study as a way for farmers to also participate in this model," explains researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez. This methodology includes, in turn, an index called Consistency Ratio (CR), which is used to evaluate the level of consensus within panels such as the one mentioned above, where a level of inconsistency greater than 10% would have indicated the need to involve more voices in the panel in order to find an acceptable level. This did not occur in the study, as the percentage of the Index was lower than that reference value. "We found that, in some way, there is a consensus in the opinions of academics, agronomists and farmers," acknowledges researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez, and adds that working together with these two methodologies is a highly accepted bet worldwide, which has been put at the service of other types of analysis.   

In this particular case, the expert panel was used to determine which were the most important categories of analysis for each region in Valle del Cauca when thinking about basil cultivation.    

Valle del Cauca, a fertile field for new crops  

According to reports by the Ministry of Agriculture, Colombia has seen a significant increase in the production of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), from 767 tons in 2006 to 31,824 tons in 2020. In this category, basil, chives, mint, laurel and oregano are among the fastest growing products. According to Ministry of Agriculture studies, basil production has been the most outstanding: it has increased from 56 tons in 2008 to 4097 in 2020, and an increase in planted hectares from 26 in 2008 to 543 in 2020. This region of the Colombian Pacific historically falls within this production framework. "Specifically in Valle del Cauca, although they are small areas, there are hillside areas with a history of basil cultivation, and in general of aromatic and medicinal plants," explains researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez, and clarifies that the study sought to expand to other parts of the department, so that the findings would be available to producers in these sites and they could know the potential in their soils.  

In addition to these growing traditions, Valle del Cauca has a soil quality that places it among the best for crops, along with ideal rainfall conditions for irrigation and product development and factors related to the temperature to which they are subjected. "This combination of factors makes it a favorable area for growing basil. In addition, here we have an assured commercialization. This type of crop is not marketed to other areas of the country, or abroad yet, due to issues of profitability and quality production, in addition to the fact that the internal demand of the department absorbs it. Whoever grows this type of product will not be left without selling. So, these physical and commercialization conditions make Valle del Cauca grow little by little in this sense", explains researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez. 

With this in mind, the study also included two hypothetical scenarios to evaluate the most suitable locations for this type of crop. One of them used the average rainfall; the other reduced this average, so that the measurement took place with little rainfall. The results, in both cases, did not differ from each other, except for the need to incorporate irrigation systems in the second case.   

"What we finally obtained was a ranking of the entire department with scores in the zones where most of the positive biophysical characteristics converge. It turned out that they were mainly in the south of the department," adds researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez. The classification categories were those of "high suitability", which include those of very good and good suitability. Within this scheme, 29 municipalities were identified within the "good" category, with 118,618 hectares, and within the "very good" category, the values registered a total of 5,104 hectares. For both cases the location was in the municipalities of Cali and Jamundí.  

The future for this type of products, both regionally and nationally   

Although the Valle del Cauca region has a strong industry related to the cultivation and distribution of products derived from sugarcane, researcher and professor Andrés Fernando Echeverri Sánchez believes that there can be a reciprocal relationship between these and new producers of crops such as basil. "I would believe that, if a strong association approaches the sugarcane sector, channels of communication and collaboration can be established. Another thing to consider is that the potential areas for basil cultivation did not occur in sugarcane areas, due to a question of altitude. So, at least, there is no such conflict. This leads me to reaffirm that there can be collaboration between the sectors", are his words.   

He also believes that the future of the market for aromatic and medicinal plants, with a view to their growth and expansion, requires joint work among small producers, allowing them to identify opportunities for their crops. The latter is accompanied by the presence of related entities at the departmental level, such as the Municipal Agricultural and Environmental Technical Assistance Units, UMATA, and the Secretaries of Agriculture of each municipality.  

"We believe that, definitely, those who should take ownership of the results of the research are the municipal authorities, so that each one can identify in their municipality whether there are potential areas or not. They could help farmers and producers to improve and guide their production lines", are his words.

If interested in being in touch with the researchers or any further information about the investigation, please write the Faculty of Engineering Communications Office: comunicaingenieria@correounivalle.edu.co.