Although Colombia has the potential to be a cocoa producer for fine flavor and high value markets, it is not greatly recognized as such. In spite of the government’s interest to position the country as a major specialty cocoa producer, no strategic actions have been taken to develop and strengthen this aspect of the value chain. This study structured a technology roadmap for the sector that identifies major research and development investment opportunities by examining the current challenges and weaknesses in key dimensions of the sector (e.g., postharvest technology, quality, capacity, and markets) that impinge on quality and add value to the product. These challenges are identified through a multidimensional and region-specific gap analysis that integrates the advances and technological trends developed worldwide as ideal practice scenarios. The findings of this study should help in prioritizing the investment of public and private resources in the sector in order to better position Colombia in the global specialty cocoa market.

This article demonstrates the value of a trait-based approach to studying technology adoption, by empirically analyzing how the valuation of technological traits may depend on factors beyond standard price considerations. We estimate a model of willingness to pay for risk-reducing technological traits and examine how this might vary depending on how the trait is offered to farmers, on the combination of risk reduction with other traits, and on farmers' heterogeneous tastes and perceptions about pecuniary and non-pecuniary advantages of the traits. As seed technologies are increasingly differentiated, the options for purchasing a seed that reduces farmers' yield risk are broader. We study two of these options in an ex ante framework, where farmers can purchase a drought-tolerance (DT) trait that is embedded in the seed—which is itself differentiated according to whether the seed is genetically modified or not—, and/or a yield warranty that is bundled with the seed, which provides the same degree of yield insurance.

This study uses individual-level wealth data to explore the gender dimensions of asset poverty among the principal adults in Ecuadorean households, the first such study in a developing country. The study departs from conventional practice by analyzing not only sole heads but also partnered men and women heads and show systematic differences by gender, marital status, and household type. Among both sole and partnered heads, women are more likely to be asset poor than men. Further, in contrast to developed countries, asset poverty rates are much higher among partnered men and women than among sole men and women heads, largely because of structural factors that put those in consensual unions at a disadvantage in accumulating assets. The gender gap, however, is much larger among sole heads. In Ecuador, the risk of asset poverty is mainly associated with low levels of education, type of employment, and not having received an inheritance. HIGHLIGHTS