Socioeconomic and Technological Factors Influencing Technology Adoption in Cacao Farms of Two Post-conflict Regions in Colombia

Open Access
- Author:
- Tami Barrera, Lina
- Graduate Program:
- Rural Sociology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- May 07, 2021
- Committee Members:
- Leland Luther Glenna, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Siela N. Maximova, Committee Member
Leif Jensen, Committee Member
Kathryn Jo Brasier, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Colombia
Technology Adoption
Socioeconomic Factors
Post-conflict
Cacao - Abstract:
- After more than 50 years of conflict, in late 2016, the Peace Agreement was signed between the Colombian government and the guerrilla group FARC-EP, the main illegal armed group that funded many of its operations through drug trafficking. This agreement represents an unprecedented opportunity for peace, not only because it promotes actions against illicit drugs and their devastating effects on the rural population, but also because it revitalizes and gives ground to the land reform postponed many times by the government during the last century. Among the strategies proposed by the Agreement is the Rural Development Plans with a Territorial Approach (PDET), which will be implemented for 10 years in 170 municipalities of special attention in the post-conflict period, and the National Comprehensive Plan for Substitution of Illicit Crops (PNIS) which focuses on eradicating coca plantations and supporting those involved, especially farmers and leaf collectors, to move towards licit activities. In this context, the cultivation of cacao stands out as a productive alternative for these communities. The national government, international aid organizations, and the private sector, including the National Federation of Cacao Growers (FEDECACAO), have made favorable statements regarding the potential (in terms of markets, quality, and added value) of this product to appropriately replace illicit crops and promote rural development in post-conflict areas. However, among the concerns of this proposal is the low capacity of the current cacao sector to materialize this potential, especially regarding achieving production volumes and quality that make the business viable enough to allow for the abandonment of coca. Among other factors associated with the poor results, researchers have highlighted the low usage of technologies necessary to generate the expected production. Although some available studies evaluate the adoption levels in Colombia, few studies investigate how social and economic factors influence the technical decisions of cacao farmers for the management of their plantations. This is especially important in cacao areas where farmers also face the effects of conflict (47% of the planted area and 46% of cacao production in Colombia is located in 149 municipalities of the 170 recognized by the Government as areas highly affected by the conflict). To address this shortcoming, this research focuses on identifying and analyzing the effects of socio-economic and technological factors on the technological adoption of cacao farms in two post-conflict regions in Colombia, Montes de María and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta-Perijá. Through a document review process, data collection in the field (through interviews, focus groups, and workshops), and the application of a survey during 2018 and 2019, it is concluded that both individuals and contextual factors affect the adoption of technologies and practices those farmers consider relevant to improve the quality and productivity of cacao. In conclusion, the implementation of maintenance pruning, monilia control, sowing density, and harvest and post-harvest practices in cacao in the study regions are influenced differently by socioeconomic factors. Among them stand out mainly factors such as cacao relevance into farmers' income, cacao cultivation size, training, technical assistance access, mechanism or channel utilized to commercialize the cacao beans, membership in a farmer’s organization, and cacao prices. Other factors were also identified but require additional research to provide more conclusive results. Among them are transportation costs, credit, labor availability, historical roots of cacao in the region, and participation in cacao quality awards. Other practices and technologies, such as irrigation, the selection of planting material from the application of the compatibility matrix, were also analyzed.