This research project has as main objective to provide scientific evidence on how empowering farmer's competences reduce their vulnerability to climate change.
Around the world, many families cultivate cocoa as a source of income. In Latin America, the number of families that depend on this productive activity is more than 350,000. However, the income earned is not enough to surpass the poverty level. In consequence, this lack of income increases the vulnerability to climate change of all the farmers.
In order to manage a cocoa farm and make the best decisions, farmers need to have the ability to understand aspects as the distribution of shade, fertilization, and pest, and disease control.
Many agricultural programs focused on providing technical assistance targeting these three factors individually, without having a significant impact on lifting men and women out of poverty. Traditional extension services provide information assuming that farmers have the competences to decide what and how to adapt to specific changes. This research investigates the farmers' decision-making process when technical information is tailored based on farmers' heuristics. The project is starting in 2020 with a duration of 2 years.
