Land use and land cover changes in coffee agroforestry systems during the period 1989-2020 in Ocosingo, Chiapas

This research was developed in a sub-region of the Lacandon Forest to identify the changes in forest cover at the regional level, and to explore the underlying causes of land use change in coffee agroforestry systems in the ejido Suschila Viejo, as a case study. A geospatial analysis of land cover changes from 1986 to 2020 was carried out to achieve these objectives. In addition, we explored the underlying causes of land use changes in coffee plantations in the Ejido Suschila Viejo using compressed ethnography.The results suggest that the ejidos that produce coffee conserve forest cover despite low profitability. At the ejido level, the persistence of coffee plantations could be explained by strategies of diversification of productive activities for self-consumption and commercialization, as well as support for the countryside through social programs. The drivers of land use change were the drop in prices in 1989, linked to the size of the plots and their proximity to the lowlands dedicated to cattle ranching.