Methodology multicriteria decision support systems to evaluate organic potato production in southern Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The growing demand for potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) and other organically grown vegetables represents an important opportunity to achieve different markets and at the same time a challenge for growers. The farmers still lack technological and marketing information to obtain satisfactory technical and economic indices. By these and other reasons generally, potato production under an organic system is lower when compared with that obtained in the conventional system, because the crop is subject to a number of factors that can reduce productivity. The study aimed to evaluate the production system of organic potato developed by family farmers in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, with the municipality of São Lourenço do Sul as the basis for technical and organizational information. The farmers reported the main technological difficulties and potential that the system offers. In general, one can see that farmers appreciate the production of a potato quality, good appearance, and size and seek to minimize the risks inherent in the process of organic potato production.