Typification of cocoa-producing farms (Theobroma cacao L.) in Montes de María and La Mojana, Colombia

Introduction. The cocoa production system is an integral part of Colombian agriculture in the subregions of Montes de María and La Mojana in the department of Sucre. There is currently no evidence in the literature regarding a characterization and typification of the study of this production system. Objective. To analyze the socio-economic and technological aspects of cocoa cultivation in the Montes de María and La Mojana subregions and define homogeneous groups of producers sharing similar characteristics that serve as recommendation domains. Materials and methods. Surveys were designed and conducted among farmers in the Montes de María and La Mojana region during 2019. Twenty-two farmers were selected through deterministic sampling. The analysis involved the typification of farmers using the distance method and Ward’s hierarchical clustering. Results. Three groups of farmers were identified. Group GI exhibited a low technological level, with farmers having incomplete primary education and low yields (420 kg ha-1). Group GII consisted of farmers with incomplete secondary education, achieving higher yields than GI (491 kg ha-1) and incorporating practices like formation and maintenance pruning. Group GIII had a higher level of education, used technological options such as improved planting materials and crop management techniques, and obtained the highest yields among all farmers (550 kg ha-1). Conclusion. The typified farms displayed differences among the groups, concluding that group G3 achieved the highest yields per hectare, attributed to the adoption of new technologies. Introducción. El sistema de producción de cacao forma parte de la agricultura colombiana en las subregiones de Montes de María y La Mojana en el departamento de Sucre. En la literatura no hay evidencia de un estudio de caracterización y tipificación del sistema de producción. Objetivo. Analizar los aspectos socioeconómicos y tecnológicos del cultivo del cacao para la subregión de los Montes de María y La Mojana, y definir grupos homogéneos de productores que compartan las mismas características que sirvan de dominio de recomendación. Materiales y métodos. Se diseñaron y aplicaron encuestas a los agricultores de la región de Montes de María y La Mojana durante el año 2019. Se seleccionaron, por muestreo determinístico, veintidós agricultores. El análisis consistió en la tipificación de los agricultores por el método de distancias y agrupamiento jerárquico de Ward. Resultados. Se obtuvi