The Myth of Complex Cocoa Agroforests: The Case of Ghana

Abstract

Most researchers defend cocoa agroforests as a model, which guarantees sustainable cocoa production while protecting biodiversity. However, in most countries, farmers’ strategies favour “full sun” cocoa farms, close to the concept of monoculture. Why this apparent paradox? Field surveys were conducted in 2005 and 2008 with 180 migrant and autochthon farmers in four districts of Ghana, including some measurements at the farm plot level and satellite images in a fifth district. An analytical grid shows how factors interact. Adoption of sun-loving hybrids; farmers’ negative perception of ecological services in relation to hybrids; legislation excluding smallholders from the legal timber market; recent expansion of the timber industry; and the migratory phenomenon. Most smallholders consider complex cocoa agroforests as a thing of the past. They were designed at a time when land and forests were abundant. The future of cocoa and timber may lie in ‘light commercial-oriented agroforests’ or a kind of mosaic landscape.

Trade-offs between crop intensification and ecosystem services: the role of agroforestry in cocoa cultivation

“…In the meanwhile, the technical packages composed of improved hybrid material and high inputs, recommended by extension services in West Africa and to a large extent in other producing regions, have not been widely adopted by farmers, presumably because of lack of access to improved material, the high cost of inputs and underdeveloped rural credit schemes (Gockowski and Sonwa 2011). According to various researchers (Ruf 2011(Ruf , 2013Gockowski et al 2013;Gockowski and Sonwa 2011), less than 30 % of the cocoa plantations of West Africa have been planted with improved cocoa material over the last 30 years and most farmers do not use any fertilizer or, at best, occasionally apply it when cocoa prices are high. Similar management practices have been reported for cocoa cultivation in Central America (Somarriba 2013).…”

“…Farmers also value shade trees because of their contribution to a range of ecosystem services (Smith Dumont et al 2014;Cerdán et al 2012). Often, cocoa extension services promote only a few fast growing or timber producing tree species for growing with cocoa ignoring the wider role of shade trees for livelihoods and the environment (Ruf 2011;Obiri et al 2007;Ofori-Bah and Asafu-Adjaye 2011;Gockowski and Sonwa 2011;Somarriba and Beer 2011;Somarriba et al 2014). There is much scope for promoting tree diversity through use of a range of species according to their suitability to match ecological niches, livelihood requirements of farmers and provide a range of ecosystem services such as crop productivity, production diversification, climate adaptation, pest and disease suppression, pollination, soil fertility, water yield and carbon sequestration; and, thereby, sustain cocoa yield.…”

“…By improving yield, resilience to climate change and provision of environmental services while minimizing dis-services of cocoa systems, it might be possible to provide sustainable ways to stabilize cocoa production within today's producing regions, particularly West and Central Africa, thereby avoiding the boom and bust cycles typical of cocoa cultivation over the last centuries (Ruf 2011), and perhaps preventing the deforestation of the humid forest in the Congo basin where cocoa cultivation is rapidly expanding (G. Savio, personal communication).…”

“…Historically, intensification to achieve higher crop yields in both coffee (Vandermeer 2011) and cocoa (Ruf 2011;Wade et al 2010) has brought about a reduction in both shade levels and species richness. Recent international fora have emphasized the need to intensify cocoa cultivation through the use of improved genetic material and agricultural practices based on the use of agro-chemicals, especially inorganic fertilizers (17th International Cocoa Research Conference, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 15-20 October 2012;33rd World Cocoa Convention Congress, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, May 7-11, 2014).…”

Farmer perceptions of plant–soil interactions can affect adoption of sustainable management practices in cocoa agroforests: a case study from Southeast Sulawesi

“…To date, scientists have come up with a plethora of findings and recommendations aimed at improving the sustainability of cocoa cultivation (Franzen and Mulder 2007, Tscharntke et al 2011, Clough et al 2016. Despite this, longterm adoption rates remain low in most cocoa-producing countries (Ruf 2011. In Indonesia, cocoa farmers are moving toward intensification of their farms, and simple cocoa agroforests interplanted with single species, such as coconut, gliricidia, or patchouli, are prevalent (Feintrenie et al 2010, Rahmanulloh et al 2012.…”