Socioeconomic barriers limit the adaptive role of biodiversity in cacao agroforestry systems in Southern Mexico

This study explores how biodiversity influences the multifunctionality of cacao agroforestry systems (cacao-AFS) and their farmers perceptions and responses to climate variability and other problems in Tabasco, Mexico in the face of climate variability. High diversity systems and low diversity systems were compared to evaluate their ability to generate diverse ecosystem services and farmers strategies to leads with climate variability. Although both system types can maintain cacao production and other products obtained of shade trees, biodiversity is not employed as a key strategy to mitigate cacao yield losses caused by phenomena such as droughts on one hand, and floods on the other. Farmers identified that, although shade species exhibit greater resilience than cacao, various socioecological factors, such as land fragmentation, lack of profitable markets, and low prices for secondary products, limit the adaptive potential of the systems. This study highlights that while cacao-AFS have significant potential to enhance resilience to climate change, this potential is constrained by socio-economic barriers that need to be addressed. Increasing the number of shade trees, expanding cacao plantations, and creating more attractive markets for biodiversity-derived products are recommended strategies to improve the adaptive capacity of these systems.