Multi-criteria planning of agricultural activities in rain-forest protected areas. The case of the Guanare-Masparro (Venezuela)

Abstract

This work has as main objective the development of a methodological approach for multicriteria planning of agricultural land in rain-forest protected areas. For this purpose two main techniques have been used: the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Compromise Programming (CP), both employed in order to include into the analysis objectives from a triple point of view: economics, social and environmental. The methodological approach proposed has been implemented in a Venezuelan protected area, where agricultural activities have been historically the main source of income for its population. The results point out the existence of important conflicts between the objectives considered, showing the convenience of public intervention in order to promote a performance of agricultural sector according to the compromise solutions obtained.