Optimisation of labour costs in the production of hard corn in the province of Loja

Costos de mano de obra en la producción de maíz duro en la provincia de Loja

Abstract

http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7415912

The production of hard corn from Celica, Pindal and Zapotillo cantons of Loja province are mainly familiar cultivates that follow planting process, cultural tillage and harvest, three agricultural activities that use qualified, experienced or trained labor; a stratified random sampling was applied to the corn producers, using surveys and checklists in focus groups, considering the core activities such as planting, where activities as well as sowing, weed control are carried out and, with the first winter rain, planting is done without tilling the land, resulting in a decrease of labor costs; cultural tillage: fumigation and fertilization; and, harvest: collection, pilling and shelling of cobs, activities that affect the costs; to decrease the labor costs, the influencing sectors perform a task called brazo, which consist of organizing one or four people to develop agricultural activities in a barter among neighbors, depending on the extension of cropping hectares. The agricultural work which the small, medium and large producers referred to as brazo is not recognized in the Ecuadorian legislation regarding the work modalities stipulated in the Labor Code, Article 11. To prevents employment contractual issues, Article 3 should be reformed regarding the derogatory nature of paying a salary to the members of the brazo.