Presentada come requisito parcial para obtener el titulo de ingeniero agronomo. / Abstract in Spanish and English.

In the Ecuadorian society there is a pronounced difference in the distribution of work between men and women. In the Ecuadorian society the man is dominant and the woman is seen as a free form of strenuous and excessive labor, who often goes without pay. The woman herself minimizes her own contribution in the production process, thereby magnifying this culture distinction. The division of work related responsibilities, through gender distinctions, has given women more tasks to complete, in addition to those generally reserved for females (taking care of the children, the animals and various household chores). Women also tend to aide in agricultural production, which often generates an important household income. This additional income, through agricultural means, continues to go unnoticed, thereby ignoring the true economic participation of women in rural areas. Planned Objectives were: Determine the production activities that the rural women fulfill in the communities of Puculpala, Llulluchi and Guzo in the Chimborazo province and Determine if the women in rural areas from the before said communities, benefit from their agricultural production. The diagnosis was completed through, studies, observations, personal interviews, text investigation and data analysis. A preliminary visit was made, in order to conduct observations, in the three above noted communities. After establishing a workable relationship with the people, interviews and surveys were conducted according to the annexes one through thirteen. The major production activities of the women in the studied communities are agriculture related. The percentage of women who work in agriculture are 66.67% in Puculpalpa, 60% in Guzo and 66.67% in Llulluchi. In Puculpalpa the women perform handcrafts as well. The women cultivate potatoes and corn in all three areas. They perform minor work with livestock, such as the breeding and rearing of the dairy cow and marketing of its milk. The most widely performed agricultural practice among the women is the cultivation of the potato. They spend an average time of 30% in sowing preparation, 32.22% in soil preparation, 11.67% in seed preparation, 23.33% sowing and fertilizing, 36.67% cultivating, 25.56% insect and disease control, 24.45% weeding, 35.56% harvesting, and 15.55% in the transportation and the marketing of products. Due to the fact that most of the agricultural work is for personal consumption, women are rarely paid for activities they perform. The countrywomen play a fundamental role in the production process, by supplying the food for their household. Despite this, in most circumstances their products have a lower market value then that of their male counterparts. The countrywomen greatly contribute to the income of the family through participation in the raising of cattle. Their role in this process brings an occasional income of 25.26% in Puculpala, 33.33% in Guzo and 30% in Llulluchi. Occasionally they contribute a daily income of S/. 8,000-9,000. In all three communities temporary migration of the women to larger cities, such as Quito, Riobamba and Guayaquil, are prevalent. Women perform house chores for other families in these cities. They prepare the food, take care of the children, collect firewood, clean, sew and shop. Illiteracy is high in all three communities, reaching 40% in Pucupalpa, 13.33%, in Guzo and 6.67% in Llulluchi. They are unable to perform basic solicitations and credit transactions. This lack of knowledge renders the women, unable to properly administrate their finances. This often results in lower paying jobs when they migrate. In all three communities there exists a religious faith in which the women seek divine assistance in their work. In Puculpala 53.33%, Guzo 6.67% and Llulluchi 33.33% of the women pray for a successful harvest. This practice is also true of males.

The faculty of natural resources, School of Agricultural Engineering of ESPOCH, with an agreement since 1992 with the Benson Institute of Brigham Young University has been working with the development of small scale production before its diffusion it is necessary to know the real social- economic conditions and the technological levels of the most important harvests of the communities, that when this model is involved in the aspects that affect the production. For this reason this investigation was made necessary in which the following objectives were raised: 1. Evaluate the social-economic conditions of the communities of San Lorenzo of Cahuiña, Guiñatus Chico and Cunambay. 2. Determine the technological levels of the harvest of barley, potatoes of the communities in study. The universe constituted the whole of families from the three communities. The sample size was 50% of the total of families taken at random in each community. The investigation was accomplished based on the observations, personal interviews, direct surveys of farmers, analysis of gathered information and secondary information. This information was analyzed based on the following statistical techniques: percentages and frequency histograms, arithmetic mean, ranges, maximum and minimum values.