IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v39y2022i1d10.1007_s10460-021-10240-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cacao cultivation as a livelihood strategy: contributions to the well-being of Colombian rural households

Author

Listed:
  • Héctor Eduardo Hernández-Núñez

    (Universidad del Tolima
    Universidad de La Amazonia, Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica. Florencia-Caquetá
    Grupo de Investigaciones Agroecosistemas y Conservación en Bosques Amazónicos-GAIA)

  • Isabel Gutiérrez-Montes

    (CATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza)

  • Angie Paola Bernal-Núñez

    (Universidad de La Amazonia, Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica. Florencia-Caquetá)

  • Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez-García

    (Universidad de La Amazonia, Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica. Florencia-Caquetá
    Grupo de Investigaciones Agroecosistemas y Conservación en Bosques Amazónicos-GAIA
    Universidad de La Amazonia)

  • Juan Carlos Suárez

    (Universidad de La Amazonia, Programa de Ingeniería Agroecológica. Florencia-Caquetá
    Grupo de Investigaciones Agroecosistemas y Conservación en Bosques Amazónicos-GAIA)

  • Fernando Casanoves

    (CATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza)

  • Cornelia Butler Flora

    (Iowa State University)

Abstract

Cacao cultivation is one of the most important livelihoods for rural households in Colombia, where it is promoted as a substitute for the illegal cultivation of coca. To strengthen Colombian cacao farming, it is important to understand the livelihood strategies associated with cacao cultivation and the impact of these different strategies on the well-being of Colombian rural households. We analyzed the impact of cacao cultivation on the livelihood strategies and well-being of rural households in western Colombia. Research with 92 rural cacao-growing households produced a typology of household livelihood strategies derived from their approach to cacao production. Indicators of each household capital and level of well-being were identified for each type of households. Correlations between the capitals and the capitals of greater importance in shaping the well-being of rural households were analyzed. Three types of rural households were identified: Cacao Farmers, Diversified Farmers with Cacao, and New Cacao Farmers. Cacao farmers have the highest capitals endowments and level of well-being, followed by Diversified Farmers with Cacao, and New Cacao Farmers. The conditions of cacao cultivation in rural households result in differentiated access to resources from capitals; households with better development of the crop have consolidated greater well-being where human capital has been its major driving factor. Success of the cacao crop and its relationship with well-being of rural households depends on the convergence of different capital resources. Thus, institutional efforts to strengthen the cacao sector in Colombia must go beyond investment to establish new hectares and consider aspects such as: (a) Strengthening the skills and knowledge of producers to improve crop management practices (human capital), (b) Promoting the participation of household members in associations (social capital), (c) Stimulating sensitivity to the rooting and sustainable management of the crop (cultural capital), and (d) Promoting processes of technification and adaptation of the infrastructure of fermenters and dryers, which will make it possible to guarantee an adequate quality of the cacao bean (built capital).

Suggested Citation

  • Héctor Eduardo Hernández-Núñez & Isabel Gutiérrez-Montes & Angie Paola Bernal-Núñez & Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez-García & Juan Carlos Suárez & Fernando Casanoves & Cornelia Butler Flora, 2022. "Cacao cultivation as a livelihood strategy: contributions to the well-being of Colombian rural households," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(1), pages 201-216, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10240-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10240-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-021-10240-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-021-10240-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wenqiang Ding & Saheed Olaide Jimoh & Yulu Hou & Xiangyang Hou & Weiguo Zhang, 2018. "Influence of Livelihood Capitals on Livelihood Strategies of Herdsmen in Inner Mongolia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Isabel Gutierrez-Montes & Mary Emery & Edith Fernandez-Baca, 2009. "The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and the Community Capitals Framework: The Importance of System-Level Approaches to Community Change Efforts," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 106-113, June.
    3. Shahidur R. Khandker, Hussain A. Samad, Rubaba Ali, and Douglas F. Barnes, 2014. "Who Benefits Most from Rural Electrification? Evidence in India," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    4. KNIGHT, John & SONG, Lina & GUNATILAKA, Ramani, 2009. "Subjective well-being and its determinants in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 635-649, December.
    5. Rui Sun & Jianing Mi & Shu Cao & Xiao Gong, 2019. "Classifying Livelihood Strategies Adopting the Activity Choice Approach in Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, May.
    6. Øystein Juul Nielsen & Santosh Rayamajhi & Patricia Uberhuaga & Henrik Meilby & Carsten Smith-Hall, 2013. "Quantifying rural livelihood strategies in developing countries using an activity choice approach," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(1), pages 57-71, January.
    7. Adriana E Suárez & Isabel Gutiérrez-Montes & Fausto Andres Ortiz-Morea & Claudia Ordoñez & Juan Carlos Suárez & Fernando Casanoves, 2021. "Dimensions of social and political capital in interventions to improve household well-being: Implications for coffee-growing areas in southern Colombia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(1), pages 1-27, January.
    8. Shanta Paudel Khatiwada & Wei Deng & Bikash Paudel & Janak Raj Khatiwada & Jifei Zhang & Yi Su, 2017. "Household Livelihood Strategies and Implication for Poverty Reduction in Rural Areas of Central Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Bjornlund, Henning & Zuo, Alec & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Parry, Karen & Pittock, Jamie & Mdemu, Makarius & Moyo, Martin, 2019. "The dynamics of the relationship between household decision-making and farm household income in small-scale irrigation schemes in southern Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 135-145.
    10. Tim Schwanen & Donggen Wang, 2014. "Well-Being, Context, and Everyday Activities in Space and Time," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 104(4), pages 833-851, July.
    11. Jill Belsky & Stephen Siebert, 2003. "Cultivating cacao Implications of sun-grown cacao on local food security and environmental sustainability," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 20(3), pages 277-285, September.
    12. Zhang, Jian & Mishra, Ashok K. & Zhu, Peixin, 2019. "Identifying livelihood strategies and transitions in rural China: Is land holding an obstacle?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 107-117.
    13. Valencia, Vivian & García-Barrios, Luis & Sterling, Eleanor J. & West, Paige & Meza-Jiménez, Amayrani & Naeem, Shahid, 2018. "Smallholder response to environmental change: Impacts of coffee leaf rust in a forest frontier in Mexico," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 463-474.
    14. Miyuki Iiyama & Patrick Kariuki & Patti Kristjanson & Simeon Kaitibie & Joseph Maitima, 2008. "Livelihood diversification strategies, incomes and soil management strategies: a case study from Kerio Valley, Kenya," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(3), pages 380-397.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xiuling Ding & Qian Lu & Lipeng Li & Apurbo Sarkar & Hua Li, 2022. "Evaluating the Impact of Institutional Performance and Government Trust on Farmers’ Subjective Well-Being: A Case of Urban–Rural Welfare Gap Perception and Family Economic Status in Shaanxi, Sichuan a," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-20, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yueyue He & Tanveer Ahmed, 2022. "Farmers’ Livelihood Capital and Its Impact on Sustainable Livelihood Strategies: Evidence from the Poverty-Stricken Areas of Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, April.
    2. Lan, Xiao & Zhang, Qin & Xue, Haili & Liang, Haoguang & Wang, Bojie & Wang, Weijun, 2021. "Linking sustainable livelihoods with sustainable grassland use and conservation: A case study from rural households in a semi-arid grassland area, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    3. Hong Chang & Xinchao Liu & Yu Xie & Yahong Liu & Wu Yang & Jianming Niu, 2022. "The Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy Drives the Differentiation of Herders’ Livelihoods in Inner Mongolian Desert Grassland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15, August.
    4. Yang Liu & Qing Zhang & Qingfu Liu & Yongzhi Yan & Wanxin Hei & Deyong Yu & Jianguo Wu, 2020. "Different Household Livelihood Strategies and Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolian Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Liu, Wei & Li, Jie & Xu, Jie, 2020. "Impact of the ecological resettlement program in southern Shaanxi Province, China on households' livelihood strategies," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    6. Helmy, Imane, 2020. "Livelihood Diversification Strategies: Resisting Vulnerability in Egypt," GLO Discussion Paper Series 441, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Ghazali, Samane & Zibaei, Mansour & Azadi, Hossein, 2023. "Impact of livelihood strategies and capitals on rangeland sustainability and nomads' poverty: A counterfactual analysis in Southwest Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    8. Dingde Xu & Zhixing Ma & Xin Deng & Yi Liu & Kai Huang & Wenfeng Zhou & Zhuolin Yong, 2020. "Relationships between Land Management Scale and Livelihood Strategy Selection of Rural Households in China from the Perspective of Family Life Cycle," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, January.
    9. Rui Sun & Jianing Mi & Shu Cao & Xiao Gong, 2019. "Classifying Livelihood Strategies Adopting the Activity Choice Approach in Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, May.
    10. Zhang, Jian & Mishra, Ashok K. & Zhu, Peixin, 2019. "Identifying livelihood strategies and transitions in rural China: Is land holding an obstacle?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 107-117.
    11. Rui Sun & Jianing Mi & Shu Cao & Tianyi Zhang, 2021. "Trends and Determinants of Income-Oriented Livelihood Transitions in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 601-624, June.
    12. Martins, Angelina R.O. & Shackleton, Charlie M., 2022. "The contribution of wild palms to the livelihoods and diversification of rural households in southern Mozambique," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    13. Oliver Schulte & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Ulrike Grote, 2022. "The Effect of Renting in Cropland on Livelihood Choices and Agricultural Commercialization: A Case Study from Rural Vietnam," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(6), pages 2878-2898, December.
    14. Shanta Paudel Khatiwada & Wei Deng & Bikash Paudel & Janak Raj Khatiwada & Jifei Zhang & Jiangjun Wan, 2018. "A Gender Analysis of Changing Livelihood Activities in the Rural Areas of Central Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-24, November.
    15. Tiah A-K. Mahama & Keshav L. Maharjan, 2018. "Generalised Ordered Model for Conceptualising and Ascertaining the Determinants of Livelihood Satisfaction in Ghana," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1195-1216, April.
    16. Senik, Claudia, 2009. "Direct evidence on income comparisons and their welfare effects," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 408-424, October.
    17. GAO Tianming & Anna Ivolga & Vasilii Erokhin, 2018. "Sustainable Rural Development in Northern China: Caught in a Vice between Poverty, Urban Attractions, and Migration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Ravallion, Martin, 2019. "Global inequality when unequal countries create unequal people," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 85-97.
    19. AndrewE. Clark & Claudia Senik, 2010. "Who Compares to Whom? The Anatomy of Income Comparisons in Europe," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 120(544), pages 573-594, May.
    20. Hong, Yan-Zhen & Su, Yi-Ju & Chang, Hung-Hao, 2023. "Analyzing the relationship between income and life satisfaction of Forest farm households - a behavioral economics approach," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10240-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.