Cocoa Growers Show Lack of Appetite for Agroforestry

[LONDON, SciDev.Net] Growing so-called “shade trees” on cocoa farms could play an important role in reducing the industry’s environmental impact. But adoption of this practice, known as agroforestry, remains low, leaving its potential unrealised, say researchers.

Due to the widespread deforestation that has made way for these farms, cocoa is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in agriculture.

Supporters of agroforestry say it can  offset these emissions and  capture large amounts of carbon.

It was very surprising to me just how low the shade tree cover was across the board.

Wilma Blaser-Hart, agroforestry researcher, University of Queensland

In a study published this month in the journal Nature Sustainability, researchers used machine learning to analyse satellite data and assess tree cover across Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where almost two thirds of the world’s cocoa is grown.

They found that only about five per cent of cocoa is grown on farms where there is at least 30 per cent shade cover from large trees.

If enough trees were planted to reach this target, then the resulting carbon storage would offset 167 per cent of cocoa-related greenhouse gas emissions in the two countries, without having to reduce production, according to the study.

Wilma Blaser-Hart, a lead researcher of the study from the University of Queensland, Australia, told SciDev.Net: “It was very surprising to me just how low the shade tree cover was across the board.”

Growing cocoa under shade trees has a number of benefits for cocoa crops.

The trees create a microclimate in the undergrowth that helps the soil retain more moisture. Cocoa crops are then less vulnerable to extreme heat and drought, which are both becoming increasingly common due to climate change.

The approach also protects biodiversity and, importantly for farmers, the midges that pollinate cocoa flowers do much better in agroforestry systems.

Farmers reluctant

But researchers say their study shows that the practice is still not being widely used, despite these advantages.

“Farmers are not adopting agroforestry because of its perceived potential impact that it has on their yield,” said James Seutra Kaba, an expert in agroforestry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, who was not involved in the study.

Incorporating trees into farms costs time and money. It also reduces the amount of space that can be used for cocoa plants. So, for the tenant farmers who want to maximise their yield, agroforestry may be seen as an obstacle.

There is also a problem around ownership of the trees. Most farmers in the region do not own the farmland, so they might not be able to get the full benefit of growing a tree to maturity.

“Let’s be frank, if you use agroforestry, your yields are not going to be the same,” added Kaba.

“A farmer who goes into agroforestry will likely be contributing to environmental benefits, but the farmer is not necessarily being compensated.

“If this can be dealt with, I am sure farmers will be happy to adopt agroforestry.”

Blaser-Hart acknowledges that having too many other trees would be “bad” for cocoa production. She says her previous research indicates that 30 to 40 per cent shade tree cover is optimal.

Both experts agreed that while shade trees might limit the space for growing cocoa plants, they could ultimately improve the yields of those plants, making them more resilient to climate change.

43 million seedlings

Much work has been done already to build agroforestry into cocoa production. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, 43 million tree seedlings have been distributed since 2018 as part of the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, a commitment by cocoa producing countries to end deforestation and restore forests.

“Even though this sounds like a huge number, we still need to do so much more if we want to increase shade tree cover across the entire region,” said Blaser-Hart.

“These 43 million trees would only cover about 11 per cent of the entire region if they were all planted and grew to maturity.”

Agroforestry can be implemented for cocoa farms across the world, as well as for many other crops, such as coffee.

Researchers hope the new technique for assessing the use of agroforestry through machine learning will allow people to better target the planting of trees and highlight the benefits of the approach.

Blaser-Hart added: “What I hope is that this work motivates people to not just move on to the next sustainability challenge, but keep going and continue to plant more trees.”

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Global desk.

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