Illicit Crops, Planning of Substitution with Sustainable Crops Based on Remote Sensing: Application in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia

Abstract

This paper explores the use of remote sensing techniques for the planning of sustainable crops in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia), in areas affected by deforestation caused by the spread of illicit crops. Remote sensing, digital cartography and satellite images were used to identify the places affected with coca crops; followed by a vegetation quality analysis using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). This observation, combined with the test and modelling of environmental indices such as, hydrometeorological parameters (temperature, precipitation and relative humidity) were used to select sustainable crops to be considered in a simulation model for the study area. The results revealed that the range of NDVI index where coca crops are found is between 0.36 to 0.51; In addition, the results of the mathematical programming model recommend that mechanized rice, plantain and cassava should be cultivated, as substitute alternatives that maximize the profits and availability of farmers, according to the agroclimatic conditions that allow the development of sustainable crops.The analytic protocol and the results of this work have the potential to better inform illegal crop substitution policy, the strategic planning of economic inclusion for the affected communities, and to inform and optimize the impact of field interventions, both, in the short and long term.

Flower Greenhouse Energy Management to Offer Local Flexibility Markets

“…Sensing, image processing, and energy management are all part of agricultural modernization in Colombia. The research of [1][2][3] is a probe of that. The documents [4,5] are oriented to control strategies to reduce total energy costs while maintaining the required operational constraints of a greenhouse.…”

Aplicación móvil para el registro de información asociada al proceso de erradicación de cultivos ilícitos

“…For example, Castiblanco and Castiblanco, 2018 (8), proposed a customized geographic information system (GIS) to include information about a local community in Colombia to allow for better decision-making, such as specific conditions and needs of the inhabitants. Given that localization is a basic aspect of these kinds of approaches, some studies proposed methods to increase the accuracy of the location's crops by using remote sensing and improving image processing (9,10,11). Despite the promising results of reported studies, shortcomings still need to be addressed.…”