Effects of land tenure and urbanization on the change of land use of cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry systems in southeast Mexico

Production of cacao and its products such as chocolate generate a global market. Despite demand, production has declined in a region historically important in the domestication of cacao in Mesoamerica. Chontalpa in southeast Mexico is an important area for cacao agroforestry systems, but a number of factors have affected current production, resulting in the elimination of many agroforestry systems. This study analyzes land use changes in the cacao production region of Tabasco State of SE Mexico using Landsat images from 2003 to 2016 to evaluate whether changes in cacao agroforestry systems into other land use forms are related to land tenure and distance to urban centers. Our results determined that land use changes were significantly lower in ejido lands, compared to other types of land tenure. A shorter distance to urban centers was associated with a higher probability of changing from cacao agroforestry systems to other land uses (grasslands, urban constructions). Members of young generations in the Chontalpa tend to move to urban centers that are continually growing at the expense of other land uses. Therefore, cacao agroforestry systems close to urban areas are more likely to change into this type of land use.