Coffee cultivation in Paraje Montero, Malinaltepec, Guerrero

Abstract

Coffee crops in the region of La Montaña of Guerrero are cared for by indigenous families, which have poor management of the orchard, which is influenced by the low economic solvency and lack of institutional support, hence the importance of knowing what factors limit production. The objective of the research was to systematize the coffee production process of Paraje Montero to detect the critical points that allow the improvement of production. In 2019, 83 coffee farmers were interviewed to gather information on the production process. The average age of the producers was 55 years, with seven years of schooling; 94% of them were engaged in agriculture. On average, they had 2.6 ha with coffee as monoculture and polyculture with fruit trees, ornamental and medicinal plants. Ninety-eight point eight percent grew the Typica variety (landrace) with plantations of 34 years on average and 493 plants ha^-1. The activities in the coffee plantation are carried out mainly with family labor. The problems detected were poor orchard management (poor pruning, fertilization, and pest and disease control), which causes low yields; there are low prices, a lack of institutional support, and low economic solvency. It is important to address these factors through the organization, managing the participation of producers for technical assistance and training as an alternative to improve coffee crop production.