Complex cocoa agroforestry systems shaped within specific socioeconomic and historical contexts in Africa: Lessons from Cameroonian farmers

Isabelle Michel, Julien Blanco, François Manga Essouma and Stéphanie M. Carrière

Agricultural Systems, 2024, vol. 221, issue C

Abstract: In the humid tropics, the socioecological advantages of family-based, multistory agroforestry systems are well recognized. Yet public policies tend to focus on conservation and land-sparing strategies alongside the promotion of modern intensive agriculture, neglecting these biodiverse agroecosystems, which are in decline. This is a particularly central issue in cocoa cultivation. In Africa's two largest cocoa-producing countries (Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana), cocoa plantations with few associated trees contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss. In contrast, in regions like Cameroon, biodiversity-rich cocoa agroforests prevail. Considering global changes and rising cocoa demand, it is crucial to preserve and develop these agroforestry systems that reconcile cocoa production with ecosystem services.

Keywords: Theobroma cacao L.; Farming practices; Farmer typology; Biodiversity; Deforestation; Intensification; Ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agisys:v:221:y:2024:i:c:s0308521x24002610

DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104111

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