In the humid forest zone of Southern Cameroon, farmers generally associate cocoa with native and exotic trees in complex agroforestry systems. Despite the socioeconomic and ecological importance of these systems, few studies have investigated their plant composition. We investigated tree composition of cocoa agroforests along a gradient of market access, population density and resource use intensity in the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon, comprising (i) the sub-region of Yaoundé, (ii) the sub-region of Mbalmayo, and (iii) the sub-region of Ebolowa. Market access, population density and resource use intensity all decreased from the first to the third sub-region. We quantified the diversity of tree species associated with cocoa within individual agroforests, among agroforests in the same region, and among the three sub-regions, and classified the tree species according to their main uses. A total of 9.1 ha belonging to 60 cocoa agroforests were inventoried in 12 villages. We encountered a total of 206 tree species with an average of 21 tree species per agroforest. In the more urbanized area around Yaoundé, agroforests were less diverse than in the other sub-regions. In all of the agroforests, food producing tree species tended to be more frequent than other species. Two thirds of the food trees were native forest species and one third was introduced. From Ebolowa to Yaoundé, the

Objective: To determine the contribution of forest foods to dietary intake and estimate their association with household food insecurity. Design: Cross-sectional survey conducted among 279 households. Using a 7 d recall questionnaire, information on household food consumption was collected from women and used to determine the household dietary diversity score, food variety score and forest food consumption score (FFCS). Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) score was determined and Spearman rank correlation was used to establish the relationship between consumption of forest foods and HFIAS score. Women's dietary intake was estimated from two 24 h recalls. The contribution of forest foods to women's nutrient intakes was calculated and women's nutrient intakes were compared with estimated average nutrient requirements. Setting: Rural forest-dependent households in twelve villages in eastern and southern Cameroon. Subjects: Household heads and their non-pregnant, non-lactating spouses. Results: Forty-seven unique forest foods were identified; of these, seventeen were consumed by 98 % of respondents over the course of one week and by 17 % of women during the two 24 h recall periods. Although forest foods contributed approximately half of women's total daily energy intake, considerably greater contributions were made to vitamin A (93 %), Na (100 %), Fe (85 %), Zn (88 %) and Ca (89 %) intakes. Despite a highly biodiverse pool of foods, most households (83 %) suffered from high food insecurity based on the HFIAS. A significant inverse correlation was observed between the HFIAS score and the FFCS (r 2 = −0·169, P = 0·0006), demonstrating that forest foods play an important role in ensuring food security in these forest-dependent communities. Conclusions: Forest foods are widely consumed by forest-dependent communities. Given their rich nutrient content, they have potential to contribute to food and nutrition security.

The distribution and composition of the tree component inside cocoa agroforests plays an important role in the economic and ecological services offered by these plantations. The presence of these plant components appears to be influenced by several factors controlling the introduction and management of associated plants inside cocoa agroforests. To date, few studies have tried to evaluate the horizontal and vertical distribution of plants inside cocoa plantations in Cameroon. This study determines the structure of cocoa plantations in Southern Cameroon. Field data were collected in 60 cocoa plantations belonging to 12 villages located along a contiguous gradient of market access, population density and resource use intensity in the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon. This study area comprises (i) the sub-region of Yaoundé, (ii) the sub-region of Mbalmayo, and (iii) the subregion of Ebolowa. Market access, population density and resource use intensity all decreased from the first to the third sub-region. For cocoa and associated plants, we quantified (1) the density (2) the individual number, the species composition and the group uses of plants (edible, timber, medicinal, etc…) distribution across strata, and (3) the basal area in the 60 cocoa plantations located in the three main sub-regions. Results are presented for each sub-region and the whole study area. The paper develops cocoa agroforest typologies and discusses possible implications of cocoa agroforest structure diversity in the achievement of economic and ecological services.

The contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) and services in livelihood support has been reviewed. Quite a number of NWFPs are also important articles of commerce and contribute significantly to the economies of various African countries. The non-consumptive role of forests has been examined in terms of eco-tourism while the social and economic viability of the production of NWFPs and services have been reviewed from subsistence and commercial perspectives. Conditions that enable long-term viability in the management of forests for NWFPs and services have been reviewed. Need for sound ecological data in relation to resource stock and yield were noted as important in determining ecological sustainability. A number of institutional issues important to SFM were noted, including setting up of strong producer organizations, enabling policies and legislative frameworks, and relevant institutions within the government that provide supportive roles. Multiple use management was noted as an important concept towards sustainable forestry and clearly demonstrates how forests can be managed for both wood and NWFPs. From an analysis of lessons learnt from the above, various recommendations were made.

Arguing that agroforestry associations are important for biodiversity conservation, certification schemes are seeking to differentiate commodities on the basis of the biodiversity included in the cropping system, in order to financially encourage more "wildlife friendly" production systems through market mechanisms. However, biologists and economists have begun to question the overall impact on biodiversity and poverty when relatively extensive "wildlife friendly" agroforestry systems are encouraged in lieu of more intensified systems. Field inventories were taken of the plants utilized from 67 ha of cocoa agroforests (CAFs) in southern Cameroon among 46 households. Two hundred eighty-six plant species were utilized as foods, medicinal plants, timber, and service products. From interviews with household members it was revealed that non-cocoa revenues accounted for one quarter of total CAF revenues. Per capita revenues from the CAF were positively skewed and exceeded the poverty line for 29% of the sampled population. 638 Empirical Analysis of Cocoa Agroforests 639Monetary returns from the CAF increased with increasing agricultural intensification and market access. The findings suggest that intensified use of cocoa fungicides, improved market institutions, and expansion of the CAF area cultivated per household would reduce rural poverty in southern Cameroon. Overall, the plant diversity of CAFs degraded slightly as intensification proceeded.

Cocoa-producing countries of West and Central Africa experienced a serious economic crisis in the early 1980s, when the cocoa sector was liberalized and the macroeconomic policies of the sector changed. These institutional changes created new difficulties and challenges for sustainable cocoa farming. Farmers in this region have recently turned to timber and non-timber production to offset the fluctuation of cocoa prices. In a survey of 300 cocoa farmers in the humid forest zone of Southern Cameroon, pest and disease outbreaks were identified as the major limiting factors to sustainable cocoa production. An analysis of pests and diseases affecting the cocoa plantations in the humid forest zone of West and Central Africa revealed strong links to the type of forest cover found on or near the cocoa plantation. An integrated approach to pest management is proposed and the paper concludes with a discussion of current efforts to address constraints posed by pests and diseases on sustainable cocoa farming in the four main cocoa-producing countries of West and Central Africa.Key words: cocoa agroforest, farmer perception, forest landscape, multi-disciplinary approach, multi-institutional approach, Africa RÉSUMÉLes pays producteurs de cacao de l'Afrique occidentale et centrale ont vécu une importante crise économique au début des années 1980, lorsque le marché du cacao est devenu libre et que les politiques macroéconomiques du secteur ont été modifiées. Ces changements institutionnels ont créé de nouvelles difficultés et de nouveaux défis pour ce qui est de la production durable de cacao. Les agriculteurs de cette région se sont tournés récemment vers la production de matière ligneuse et de produits forestiers non ligneux afin de compenser pour les fluctuations des prix du cacao. Au cours d'un sondage effectué auprès de 300 producteurs de cacao de la zone forestière humide du sud du Cameroun, les épidémies de ravageurs et de maladies ont été identifiées comme étant les principaux facteurs entravant la production durable de cacao. Une analyse des ravageurs et des maladies affectant les plantations de cacao de la zone forestière humide de l'Afrique occidentale et centrale a révélé de forts liens avec le type de couvert forestier sous lequel ou à proximité duquel se trouvent les plantations de cacao. Une approche intégrée de contrôle des ravageurs est proposée et cet article se termine par une discussion des efforts actuels pour faire face aux contraintes créées par les ravageurs et les maladies sur la production durable de cacao des quatre principaux pays producteurs de l'Afrique occidentale et centrale.Mots clés : agroforesterie du cacao, perceptions des agriculteurs, paysage forestier, approche multidisciplinaire, approche multi-institutionnelle, Afrique

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