Cocoa cultivation as an engine of rural development: Impact on the configuration of livelihoods strategies of rural households in Colombia

Rural conditions in Colombia have changed in recent years, and rural households have had to redesign their livelihood strategies (LS). Cocoa cultivation has accompanied this process of LS configuration, with a differentiated role in each household. This research analyzes the incidence of cocoa cultivation in the LS of rural households in the Colombian departments of Caquetá, Huila, Meta, and Santander. A semi-structured interview and a survey were applied in 406 rural households with cocoa production, examining the types of household LS, the specific household-level assets for cocoa production, and the perception on the representation of the crop for the households were identified. Five types of rural households were identified according to LS configuration: Cocoa Farmers, Livestock-Cocoa Farmers, Coffee-Cocoa Farmers, Diversified and Off-farm-Cocoa Farmers. It was found that cocoa cultivation has a different role and conditions in the types of households according to the LS adopted, a difference that was more accentuated at the departmental level. Households of Santander have better capital endowment for cocoa production; the opposite is the case in Caquetá. We found that cocoa production has a positive relationship (p < 0.05) with the technological level of cocoa, dedication to the crop and cocoa area. The reasons that led rural households to plant cocoa were mainly territorial conditions (not the type of rural household), economic motivation and ease of management. Finally, 90% of the households indicated that the crop has a promising future, which they associate with a livelihood, a secure source of income for old age, and the fulfillment of basic needs.