Crops
Cocoa
Crop description
Ivory Coast:
1st world producer of cocoa beans, 40% of world production
Productive areas:
> 2.500.000 ha
Export markets:
Europe, United States mainly
Production mode:
cocoa orchards, in forest areas, small, extensive and family farms
Mainly cultivated in the regions:
from the center-west of the country
Focus on a major cocoa issue in Côte d’Ivoire: the fight against deforestation
DESCRIPTION:
Ivory Coast seeks to fight against the destruction of its primary forests, which sometimes leads to cocoa plantations.
IMPACTS AND DAMAGES:
This deforestation leads to a disruption of the tropical ecosystem, accentuates the effect of climate change, delays and reduces the rainy season. It jeopardizes the conditions conducive to cocoa production in the country.
SOLUTIONS:
Increase the productivity and profitability of existing plantations to stop the expansion and preserve the still existing forests, via:
- The establishment of agroforestry systems combining forest, cocoa and food crops
- The transition to organic or ecological cropping systems to better enhance production
- The use of organic fertilizers, biostimulants and biocontrol products that aim to increase crop yield, as well as the producer’s margin while preserving the environment and the health of populations