THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE CHANGUINOLA DISTRICT: A CASE OF APPLIED ECONOMICS IN PANAMA

Background: Bocas del Toro is positioned in the Pacific arc as a maritime province, linked to the Caribbean coastline, with a territory endowed with natural resources for primary and tourist production. The cross-border dimension will be a basic component of its geostrategic position, in which agriculture represents one of the foundations of sustainable development. Objective: The analysis, interpretation, and classification of the populated areas with agricultural vocation of the Changuinola district are approached in this work. Methodology: The method of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied. Through the PCA the first two components that were selected explained 74.7% of the total variation. This allowed a classification in three strata, discriminating the populated areas of greater agricultural activity in the district using hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: It was detected that the factors with the greatest impact on the characteristics of the population studied were the development of agriculture in indigenous territories, low education, occupation, and the proportion of economically inactive people; this characterization serves as the first approach to the study of sustainable land management in indigenous territories. Implications: This study prioritized and typified specific characteristics of the population such as education, unemployment, and food security, thus it is a predictor in populations in conditions of vulnerability, representing the starting point for more in-depth studies in other areas of the country and even an input for the management of public policy. Conclusion: This research represents an important part in the establishment of the baseline study on the location of agricultural production in the rural development areas of the Changuinola district, the local production technology, the technical results, and the relations of the inhabitants with the environment physical.