Análisis de los factores que limitan a los pequeños productores en el desarrollo de la actividad cacaotera en México

The ancient civilizations of the mokaya, olmeca, and maya introduced the cultivation and consumption of cacao and chocolate. Despite this, its contribution to global cocoa production statistics is relatively low. This is due to the fact that producers and cultivation face several limiting factors that create the necessary conditions for a downward trend in production. In this context, the main objective of the study was to analyze, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the limiting factors faced by cocoa producers in Mexico, as well as their interactions during the production, transformation, and commercialization of cocoa beans and derivatives. Qualitative methods based on a systematic review of scientific research literature were applied for this purpose. The Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were used to search for information. Research articles, books, and chapters published between 2005 and 2020 in Spanish and English that addressed issues related to cocoa producers, production, transformation, or trade in the producing states (Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Tabasco) were considered. Initially, 438 publications were identified. After filtering them using the inclusion criteria, a final sample of 17 publications was obtained. The results show that there are at least 45 limiting factors that interact with cocoa producers, which are distributed in six different areas. The most significant area identified was “Cocoa cultivation and harvesting, while “Conventional management” and “Diseases of plantations” were the main limiting factors for cocoa cultivation in Mexico. Additionally, it was observed that the “Poor organization” factor is a limitation that affects producers in all analyzed areas. Based on its main findings, academia, government at different levels and non-governmental institutions could use this study as a guiding tool this study to expose critical areas and limitations of the cocoa value chain, with special emphasis on small producers.