Central America is one of the world’s major coffee producing
regions (Castro et al., 2005). According to the FAO (2014), the land
surface area in the region dedicated to coffee cultivation increased
from 0.9 million hectares in 1961 to 1.6 million hectares in 2012,
representing an annual growth of 1.1% over the period. From a
socioeconomic standpoint, coffee cultivation is an important
source of rural employment; in 2002, it accounted for 28% of all
rural employment in the region, and was especially significant in
Nicaragua, with 42%