Economía circular y desempeño socio-institucional: evaluación del potencial de la cadena de leche en el cantón Píllaro provincia de Tungurahua

Abstract

The study of the milk value chain in the province of Tungurahua, canton Píllaro, evaluated the socio-institutional performance and the circular potential of the milk chain considering socioeconomic, institutional, productive, and transactional components. The methodology used in this research was the IASA (Integrated Agrifood Sustainability Evaluation) evaluation framework. This framework makes it possible to assess the linkages within a value chain. The study area was located in order to map the stages, primary and technical support activities, information flows and prices in the milk chain. Six links in the production chain were analyzed, and the reality of the milk producer was made clear. A structured survey was applied to milk producers, supported by Cronbach's alpha test and analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS statistics software. From the results obtained, it was observed that most of the producers are women and the farms analyzed generally use family labor. In addition, it was identified that product transactions are relatively slow and informal. Also, the analysis of transactional costs found that most producers influence the raw material transaction. The governance dynamics in this study chain are modular in nature due to the codification of information and the supply base. Finally, in the economic potential, it was proposed to elaborate two by-products from whey, freeze-dried and encapsulated whey.