Socio-economic Study of the Small Cocoa Producers in Honduras: Case of APROSACAO

The production of cocoa in Honduras is a very important productive activity that generates income for small farmers and their families. In this activity, small producers represent 55% of total nationwide, this group cultivates in an area smaller than 0.7 ha. On the other hand, medium producers cultivate an area between 0.7 to 3.4 ha and generate 41% of the nationwide production. Socioeconomic characteristics and perception of the environmental sustainability of the Association of Producers with Agroforestry Systems of Organic Cocoa in Olancho (APROSACAO) were studied. These aspects are useful for evaluating rural development projects. The study was carried out in the municipality of Catacamas, Department of Olancho, in the northeastern region of Honduras. The population under study was APROSACAO, located in the same municipality. The association has 332 affiliates, most of them are small farmers. The information was analyzed through multivariate and regression analysis. We found that most of farmers were men (78%), with ages above 35 years (74.58%) and basic schooling. The average production and productivity for the association were found to be below the national average. The association's production is explained in 48% by the number of hectares of cocoa that producers grow, the production costs, and the technical assistance. The relationship between different variables that contribute to making producers farms sustainability were studied as part of the producer’s environmental perception.