Sustainable Intensification of Gourd Vegetables in Chile: Challenges and Opportunities

Nowadays, the traditional agriculture of the central valley of Chile faces new challenges and uncertainties in a climate change context. In Chile, the current risks to the sustainability of traditional farming families are the severe water scarcity status decreed in agricultural zones during 2020 in the context of the last decade drought, the need to sustain profitable yields in an uncertain market, continue to provide safe vegetables for the population and minimize the environmental impact. Gourd vegetable growers are among the most affected, as 92% of the Chilean production of gourd vegetables is concentrated in the central valley, having to limit the land use to the available water. This article focuses on the opportunities that arise from a paradigm shift towards a sustainable intensification of vegetable growing and specifically the gourd vegetables potential to adapt to such production systems. We aim to illustrate the importance of integrated pest management and soil health to a sustainable intensification of vegetables, and the need for contamination mitigation strategies in intensified horticultural systems, in order to enable the sustainable intensification of gourd growers.