COFFEE AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS AS A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION ALTERNATIVE FOR SMALL PRODUCERS OF MEXICO

Coffee agroforestry systems are considered as a strategic mode of production focused on sustainable development, because it is the livelihood of small producers and about 30 indigenous groups in the country. Despite this, there are multiple social, economic and environmental threats that have generated a reduction in the area dedicated to this mode of production. Therefore, it is essential to highlight the environmental, social and economic benefits that these systems have generated in marginalized communities to avoid further reducing the surface with said sustainable production system. The objective of this essay is to analyze the role that coffee agroforestry systems have played in the sustainable development of small producers in Mexico through the documentary research technique to have scientific evidence on the main environmental, social and economic benefits and identify the main threats to guide future research in order to improve and conserve coffee agroforestry systems. It was found that this system has generated a range of ecosystem services, among which the potential for CO2 capture and the capacity for the conservation of native biodiversity stand out. Despite the multiple social threats, small producers dedicated to this mode of production are reluctant to abandon this practice because it is a way to survive and maintain their social reproduction system, regardless of the challenges that arise. The small producers that have managed to generate a significant increase in their economy are those who have organized in cooperatives to produce specialized organic coffees of high quality with an export focus. Migration, advanced age of producers, poor management of the system, phytosanitary diseases and climate change are the main threats identified. There is ample scientific evidence on the environmental benefits of coffee agroforestry systems in Mexico; however, it is necessary to expand the information in the social and economic field to obtain strategies that help small producers from marginalized communities to achieve sustainable development, taking care of improving their quality of life, reducing the main threats that afflict them and the reduction of vulnerability to current and future climate change.