How to integrate Agroecological Principles into Peru's Cocoa Business Model for Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture

As part of the Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) project contributing to the Agroecological Transitions program for building resilient and inclusive agricultural and food systems food systems (TRANSITIONS), a fieldwork expedition in the province of Padre Abad in the Ucayali region of Peru was carried out by the research team. The fieldwork aims at examining how farmers in the Curimaná Agrarian Cooperative integrate agroecological principles into their business models in the cocoa value chain.

Increasingly, agroecology is recognized as an effective means of transitioning towards sustainable food systems. Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles in farming to optimize interactions among plants, animals, humans, and the environment, while considering the social aspects necessary for a sustainable and equitable food system. Its goal is to increase output while minimizing the use of external inputs and maximizing the utilization of natural resources. This approach is based on 13 agroecological principles that encompass everything from input reduction to land and natural resource governance, as well as social participation (Mockshell et al., 2023).