El cultivo de cacao como alternativa sustentable frente a la dinámica de cultivos ilícitos en el municipio del Valle del Guamuez, Putumayo

Abstract

At the national level, the department of Putumayo has been characterized as one of the areas with the highest presence of illicit crops, according to data reported by the Colombian Drug Observatory (2022), in addition to the continued presence of illegal armed actors, including drug traffickers, guerrillas and paramilitaries, taking advantage of the fact that this department is a corridor for their mobilization. This research analyzed whether the cultivation of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L), established under agroforestry models, is a sustainable alternative for producer families in the municipality of Valle del Guamuez, where a characterization of the cocoa value chain was carried out and the socioeconomic conditions of the producer families were determined. Therefore, a mixed methodology was used, which was based on research techniques such as the timeline and the focus group, using information gathering instruments such as questionnaires to carry out the socioeconomic characterization of cocoa production units, open interviews and semi-structured interviews. Likewise, the methodological tool Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems was used, incorporating sustainability indicators (MESMIS), and information on the cocoa value chain in Putumayo, historical information on the study area and identification of actors present in the territory. The results of the research identified that cocoa cultivation under agroforestry models is a moderately sustainable alternative that contributes to minimizing the impact generated by the expansion of illicit crops in the municipality of Valle del Guamuez. It was also identified that the producers have productive infrastructure, own their production units and cocoa cultivation has provided them with an environment of tranquility by being linked to a legal activity. Likewise, the cocoa value chain in this municipality has been strengthened from the socioeconomic and environmental aspects, and has been promoted by international cooperation, the public and private sectors, as an alternative to the deforestation processes that have been occurring in the Colombian Amazon region due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier and illicit crops.