Integración de la Dimensión Geopolítica en Estudios sobre Sostenibilidad de la Producción y Comercialización del Cacao, Quevedo, Los Ríos, Ecuador

Abstract

The research problem lies in the fact that the analysis of sustainable development in cocoa production and commercialization has traditionally been approached from environmental, social, and economic dimensions, without explicitly integrating the geopolitical dimension. In this context, the document examines these issues in Los Ríos province (Ecuador), considering global, regional, national, and local (Quevedo) scales, and proposes a theoretical-methodological approach that incorporates geopolitics as a complementary dimension, through a documentary design based on 21st-century studies. At the global scale, market concentration in multinational corporations, the impacts of climate change on producing areas, and restrictions derived from sustainability certifications imposed by importing countries are identified. In Latin America, indirect land control by global value chains and deforestation linked to external market demands stand out. In Ecuador, power asymmetries within value chains create structural barriers for small producers. In Quevedo, socio-environmental risks associated with intensive monoculture, such as water degradation and ecological simplification, are evident. It is concluded that cocoa sustainability requires integrating geopolitical dynamics with traditional dimensions across multiple scales.