AGRIFOOD PRODUCTIVITY AND AGROECOLOGY AS WAYS TO STRENGTHEN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN TOMATO CULTIVATION: A TERRITORIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC APPROACH IN MEXICO

This study evaluates agroecological alternatives for nematode control and productivity improvement in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) under controlled conditions, with the aim of estimating their potential contribution to food sovereignty through technical and economic metrics. An experiment was conducted using a completely randomized block design (4 treatments × 4 replicates; 16 units), comparing chemical control (oxamyl), biofumigation with brassicas, biocontrol with Paecilomyces lilacinus, and a control. The following were measured: J2 juvenile population in soil and roots, galling index (unified scale 0–5), yield (kg m⁻²), and benefit-cost ratio (BCR = total income/total cost). The data were analyzed using ANOVA, assumption tests (Shapiro–Wilk; Levene), and multiple comparison of means (Tukey α = 0.05). The results show significant reductions in the final nematode population and galling indices with oxamyl and biofumigation, while Paecilomyces achieved intermediate but consistent effects. In terms of yield, chemical control recorded maximum values, followed by biofumigation; however, the RBC favored biofumigation by combining competitive yield with lower input costs. These findings suggest that, in contexts of budgetary constraints and the need to reduce dependence on external inputs, biofumigation and biocontrol are viable ways to strengthen productivity and food security at the local level. The study acknowledges its experimental scale and the need for participatory validation on farms as limitations, and therefore proposes lines of research aimed at territorial scaling and economic sensitivity analysis. The overall objective was to identify the alternative agro e with the best technical and economic performance in order to guide production decisions aligned with food sovereignty.