Abstract

HES, Tomás et al. The falling production of mexican cacao analyzed through the lens of Mincerian earnings function in the context of social capital of smallholders. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Agrar., Univ. Nac. Cuyo [online]. 2018, vol.50, n.1, pp.185-202. ISSN 1853-8665.

The cacao belongs to most important agricultural crops worldwide, in recent decades facing increasing demand as well as falling production capacity. The dramatically fall of production of cacao in Mexican agriculture, where it was first domesticated, is becoming a serious concern for diversity of local production, as local producers are substituting cacao plantations with more rentable crops thus giving away a rich genetic as well as agricultural legacy that could under adequate conditions provide a source of income for large region while maintaining the natural diversity. The paper tries to find the answer in studying the social capital of cacao producers of Tabasco region, coming to the conclusion that it is collective action and social capital led production set of practices that is crucial for the re-installment and prosperity of the plantations, rather than a single motive such as the recent invasion of Moniliophthora roreri fungus.

Keywords : Social capital; Cacao; Mexico; Moniliophthora roreri; Mincerian function.

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