Cocoa : from deforestation to reforestation

The shift of cocoa supply observed from one country to another is partially related to migrants' thirst for land and 'forest rent'. However, once forest has disappeared locally or has been effectively protected by astute social and economic policies, cocoa may switch from a status of deforestation agent in the twentieth century to one of reforestation agent in the twenty-first. Some smallholders in Indonesia and in Côte d'lvoire seem to paving the way by showing how to be independent of forest in growing cocoa in the future. They necessarily include a minimum amount of fertilisers and other inputs. Agroforestry techniques including shade trees will also play an increasing role in such future developments. However, on the basis of observations of smallholders' strategies in a number of countries, it is argued that shade trees may not necessarily be permanent and may develop at the end of the cocoa farm life-cycle, in order to facilitate replanting. Agroforestry techniques are also related more to long-established populations, ususally autochtons while monoculture is often a strategy used by migrants to maximize short-term returns. It is argued that either ageing migrants or their offspring may change their strategies and move closer to agroforestry when they rediscover some long-term disadvantages of strict monoculture. Among a number of proposals in order to simultaneously improve smallholders well-being and sustainability of cocoa farming, it is recomended that not should forest reserves be protected but the value of timber should be paid to smallholders. The ownership of timber trees in their cocoa farms is a prerequisite to any research and extension work on cocoa agroforestry and sustainability. This especially applies to Côte d'lvoire which may rapidly reach a cocoa supply of 1,500,000 tonnes per year. (Résumé d'auteur)