Abstract

MORA-DELGADO, Jairo Ricardo; RAMIREZ MARTINEZ, Carlos  and  QUIROS MADRIGAL, Olman. Labor, cost-benefit analysis, and energy productivity in peasant coffee growing farms in Puriscal, Costa Rica. Cuad. Adm. [online]. 2007, vol.20, n.33, pp.49-76. ISSN 0120-3592.

How do peasant coffee growing farms differ depending on socioeconomic variables and on resource management? That is precisely the question that motivated this study. The conglomerates of 39 farms in Puriscal, Costa Rica were analyzed, to establish a typology using thirteen variables. Three types of farms were defined: farms with organic technology (OT), farms with mixed technology (MT), and farms with conventional technology (CT). In each conglomerate, a hypothetical farm was built, to be analyzed as a case study. For each of these case studies, an economic analysis was made to determine short-term financial indicators and short-term family benefits; in addition, energy productivity was determined. The highest short-term financial benefits were obtained in the CT model as compared to those obtained in the OT and MT systems. However, for energy productivity, the organic coffee growing model presented more efficiency. Indeed, 0.51 MJ/kg was invested to produce one kilogram (kg) of coffee beans there; that represents half of the energy required to produce the same kilogram of coffee beans in the CT model (1.06 MJ/kg) and in the MT model (0.97 MJ/kg). This study requires long-term tracking complementation.

Keywords : Energy productivity; organic coffee growing; peasants; cost-benefit analysis; conglomerate analysis.

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