Description
Presenter: Robert Peck, World Cocoa Foundation
Agriculture and agro-industry have been and will continue to be key components for the economies of Latin America. Currently, agricultural-related activities account for approximately 25 percent of the region’s gdp.In terms of employment, the primary agricultural sector represents more than 25 percent of total employment. It is estimated that 35 percent of the rural population can be classified as below the poverty line. Agricultural production in the region can be characterized as having a large number of small producers that lack investment in human capital and infrastructure: out of 17 million producers in the region, almost 16 million have less than 3 hectares, or about 7 acres. It is estimated that for approximately 200,000 families in the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia), growing cocoa is the main source of household income (Figure 1).
