Main problems of the coffee sector in the ecuadorian province of manabí. Status of situation and outlook

Abstract

The coffee sector in the Ecuadorian province of Manabí, constitutes a set of interconnected processes that includes production, transportation, storage and marketing, until final consumption. It provides employment and income to thousands of families in the territory, but in recent years the economic-productive results of the sector have been diminished, which requires a diagnosis of the situation. In this context, the objective of the work is to analyze the fundamental results of the diagnosis made with the surveys applied to producers in the province of Manabí, for which the participatory research method, inferential statistics and other scientific research procedures were used, through workshops of discussion, specific talks with certain coffee growers. The results show that several factors combined influence the low production and productivity of coffee; a low level of schooling, socio-productive problems associated with the coffee production, harvesting, commercialization systems, as well as the institutional ones linked to coffee growing are evidenced.