Socioeconomic factors affecting cocoa yield, in the North-Center, Nicaragua

Objetive: To determine the socioeconomic factors that affect the yield of the cocoa crop (Theobroma cacao L.) in Nicaragua. This research will contribute to provide information, precise and necessary to the design of projects and research fucused to the needs and reality of cocoa crops smolholders. Methodology: A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) were performed. 28 social and economic variables were used. A survey in 2018 with a sample of 140 farms, from a universe of 923, was conducted, 23 communities located in the municipalities of Rancho Grande, Río Blanco and Matiguás in the North center of Nicaragua Results: The MCA results indicate that the correlated variables with the greatest impact were the change in yield and the support received by the producers. The decrease in yields is due to the lack of of support, but also to formal support, represented mainly as a acces to credit, the increase in yields occurs when informal support is received.Conclusions: The yield of cocoa changes according to the support received. Limitations: The research shows that cocoa production in the área of study is affected according to the type of support received.