Land Suitability for Cocoa Cultivation in Peru: AHP and MaxEnt Modeling in a GIS Environment

Peru is one of the world’s leading exporters cocoa beans, which directly impacts household economy millions small farmers. Currently, expansion and modernization cocoa-growing area require zoning territory with suitable biophysical infrastructural conditions to facilitate optimizing productivity factors. Therefore, we analyzed land suitability for (Theobroma cacao L.) production on Peruvian mainland as a support measure sustainable agriculture. To this end, climatological, edaphological, orographic, socioeconomic criteria determining cultivation were identified mapped. Three modeling approaches (Analytic Hierarchy Process—AHP, Maximum Entropy—MaxEnt, AHP—MaxEnt combined) further used hierarchize importance model potential cultivation. In all three approaches, climatological stood out among five most important criteria. Elevation (orographic criteria) also featured in group. On other hand, San Martin Amazonas emerged regions largest ‘Highly suitable’ followed by Loreto, Ucayali, Madre de Dios, Cusco, Junín, Puno, alternated according approach. From least restrictive, AHP, MaxEnt, AHP–MaxEnt indicate that 1.5%, 5.3%, 23.0% cultivation, respectively.