Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v10i18.0852 Abstract Agronomy constitutes one of the strategic pillars for Ecuador’s economic and social development, due to its contribution to employment generation, food security, and foreign exchange earnings. In this context, technical agricultural education emerges as a key mechanism to strengthen productivity and sustainability within the agrarian sector. This study aims to analyze the role of technical education in the development of Ecuadorian agro-economy, based on an integrated approach that links human capital formation with the productive performance of the agricultural sector. Methodologically, the research adopts a quantitative approach with a non-experimental and longitudinal design, supported by documentary, descriptive, and inductive methods, using secondary data obtained from official sources and scientific studies related to agricultural economics and technical education in Ecuador. The results indicate that although the agricultural sector maintains a significant contribution to Gross Domestic Product and employment, its growth has been irregular and constrained by structural factors such as limited public investment, dependence on the oil-based economy, and restricted access to agricultural credit. Furthermore, the findings reveal that technical agricultural education, despite being theoretically recognized as a driver of agrarian productivity, faces significant gaps in its articulation with higher education and labor market demands, which limits its real impact on national agro-economic development. It is concluded that strengthening technical agricultural education requires not only expanding educational opportunities at higher levels, but also improving the alignment between educational, productive, and labor policies to consolidate a sustainable and inclusive agricultural development model in Ecuador. Keywords: Agroeconomics, agricultural technical education, economic development, human capital, agricultural productivity, agricultural sector, public policies.
Institution: Universidad Técnica de Manabí
Language: Spanish
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7217195170