Integración de la Dimensión Geopolítica en Estudios sobre Sostenibilidad de la Producción y Comercialización del Cacao, Quevedo, Los Ríos, Ecuador

Summary

This study advances the analysis of cocoa sustainability in Ecuador by proposing a theoretical-methodological framework that explicitly incorporates geopolitical dimensions alongside conventional environmental, social, and economic perspectives. The research, conducted at multiple scales from global markets to the local Quevedo region, identifies structural barriers created by multinational concentration, external market-driven deforestation, and power imbalances within value chains that disadvantage small producers. The authors conclude that addressing cocoa sustainability requires integrating geopolitical dynamics across scales rather than treating sustainability dimensions in isolation.

Regional applicability

This study focuses on Ecuador's Los Ríos province and is not directly applicable to United Kingdom conditions. However, its framework for integrating geopolitical analysis into sustainability assessment of agricultural commodity chains may be transferable to UK-based research on imported commodity supply chains, particularly regarding power asymmetries and certification impacts on producer countries.

Key measures

Qualitative analysis of geopolitical dynamics in cocoa value chains; identification of market concentration patterns, land control mechanisms, power asymmetries, and socio-environmental risks across scales

Outcomes reported

The study examined sustainable cocoa production and commercialisation across multiple geographical scales (global, regional, national, and local), integrating geopolitical analysis with traditional environmental, social, and economic dimensions. It identified market concentration by multinationals, value chain power asymmetries affecting small producers, and socio-environmental risks from intensive monoculture in the study region.

Supporting research

Primary abstract explicitly provides a documentary/theoretical framework for Ecuadorian cocoa production, value chains and sustainability.

Limits: Supporting food-system theory/reference, not a measured farm treatment effect; geopolitical interpretations and claimed environmental risks were not independently appraised.

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