Data_Sheet_1_Elucidating Pathways and Discourses Linking Cocoa Cultivation to Deforestation, Reforestation, and Tree Cover Change in Nicaragua and Peru.docx

Cocoa cultivation is labeled as a driver of both deforestation and reforestation, yet the extent of the phenomena varies at farm and landscape level and as a response to national and local contexts. In this study, we documented the main pathways and contexts behind cocoa cultivation in two sites with different histories of cocoa cultivation. We combined official statistics, land-use trajectory, satellite imagery, and the Q-analysis to explore the discourses of country experts in Nicaragua and Peru. The Q-statements were based on an analysis of a set of legal, institutional, social, and technical guidelines that the cocoa cultivation/sector influences or is influenced by. Based on the responses of national experts to 31 statements we found four discourses linking cocoa cultivation and reforestation and deforestation in each country-case study. The enabling and limiting conditions driving tree cover change were a combination of landscape configuration, governance, management/commercialization models, and farmer's knowledge. Overall, between 60 and 64% of the variance was explained by four discourse factors in each country. In Nicaragua, the conditions associated with reforestation were the cocoa-agroforestry model promoted by local organizations/NGOs, the existence of incentives, degree of technical knowledge, access to safe market, and availability of improved genetic material. The circumstances associated with deforestation were the age of the farmers, fluctuation of cocoa beans prices, low productivity of cocoa plantations, and weak legal environmental frameworks. Whereas, in Peru, the main factors connecting cocoa cultivation to reforestation were access to market, degree of experimentation in cocoa, the economic weight of cocoa on family's income, certification processes, the existence of incentives, and the level of organization/association of cocoa farmers. The elements linking cocoa farming to deforestation were the influence of stakeholders in the cocoa value chain, weak legal environmental frameworks, fluctuation of cocoa prices, the existence of private investors, and insecure land tenure rights. This article demonstrated the utility of discourse analysis, through its application to two contrasting country case-studies, to elucidate the conditions that might minimize the deforestation footprint of cocoa cultivation and maximize its role as an agent for reforestation/restoration in the agricultural landscape of cocoa-growing areas in Latin America.

可可种植业被视为既是森林砍伐的驱动力，也是森林恢复的推动者，然而这种现象的程度在农场和景观层面上以及在国家与地方背景下均有所不同。在本研究中，我们记录了两个具有不同可可种植历史地区的可可种植背后的主要途径和背景。我们结合了官方统计数据、土地利用轨迹、卫星图像和Q分析，以探究尼加拉瓜和秘鲁国家专家的言论。Q语句基于对一系列法律、制度、社会和技术指南的分析，这些指南受到可可种植/行业的影响或影响该行业。基于对31个陈述的国家专家的回答，我们发现每个国家案例研究中都存在四种将可可种植与森林恢复和砍伐相联系的言论。推动植被覆盖变化的促进和限制条件是景观配置、治理、管理/商业化模式以及农民知识的一个综合体。总体而言，每个国家的方差有60%至64%可以通过四种言论因素来解释。在尼加拉瓜，与森林恢复相关的条件包括当地组织/非政府组织推广的可可-农业林业模型、激励措施的存在、技术知识的程度、安全市场的可及性以及改良遗传材料的可用性。与森林砍伐相关的条件包括农民的年龄、可可豆价格的波动、可可种植园的低生产力以及薄弱的法律环境框架。而在秘鲁，将可可种植与森林恢复联系起来的主要因素包括市场可及性、可可实验的程度、可可对家庭收入的经济影响、认证流程、激励措施的存在以及可可农民的组织/协会水平。将农业与森林砍伐联系起来的因素包括可可价值链中利益相关者的影响、薄弱的法律环境框架、可可价格的波动、私人投资者的存在以及不稳定的土地产权。本文通过将其应用于两个对比鲜明的国家案例研究，展示了话语分析的应用价值，以阐明可能最小化可可种植森林砍伐足迹并最大化其在拉丁美洲可可种植地区农业景观中作为森林恢复/重建代理作用的条件。