PRODUCTIVIDAD ENERGéTICA Y FINANCIERA EN FINCAS CAMPESINAS DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE CALDAS: TRES ESTUDIOS DE CASO

three peasants' farms in the municipalities of filadelfia and manizales, caldas (colombia) were studied with the purpose of estimating energetic and financial productivity. the studied farms were selected from the resulting clusters in the research project "mass and energy flow in peasants' farms in the coffee triangle: links between peasants' rationality and materials flow"5. in order to perform the analysis, information was gathered through semi-structured interviews applied to each family from the above mentioned farms. with this information, analogical models were developed which show the coffee system income and expenditure, a main component in family unit. it was concluded that farm 1 presents the highest energetic and financial efficiency because of its diversity, materials recycling process and use of family work force. consequently it is the most sustainable one.