News & Events
08 April 2010
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS AT COPAL WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP ON SOIL MANAGEMENT OF COCOA TREE STOCKS AND AGROFORESTRY APPLIED TO COCOA CULTIVATION IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
VENUE: GOLDEN TULIP, KUMASI CITY, KUMASI
DATE: MARCH, 16-18, 2010
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS
We the 78 participants of the Workshop on Soil Management of Cocoa Tree Stocks and Agroforestry applied to cocoa cultivation in West and Central Africa,
• Recognizing
- The significant contribution of cocoa production to our national economies and socio-economic development and local environment;
- The upsurge of the international market place demand for cocoa due to health/nutritional benefits as well as greater purchasing power in emerging markets;
- The need for our countries to increase our export earnings for improved socio-economic development and the opportunity to increase farmers’ share of the world market price for cocoa for enhanced rural incomes, livelihoods and poverty reduction;
- The need to improve and sustain the productivity of our cocoa farms;
- The importance of soils in the production of cocoa;
- The role of cocoa intensification for reducing land use and deforestation.
• Concerned about
- The current low cocoa production levels in our countries and supply lagging behind the increasing global demand;
- Our inability to maximize our share of the global cocoa demand due to the low productivity in our countries;
- The prevailing low per hectare yield of cocoa from most of our farmers’ fields largely due to:
* The continued use of depletive extensive rather than intensive farming system;
* The continuous decline in soil fertility in the wake of nutrient export through harvested cocoa pods and beans and other loss pathways without the requisite replenishment;
* Deforestation, loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the environment.
• Desirous of
- Enhancing the productivity of our cocoa farm lands and empowering our farmers to become more efficient in the production of improved quality cocoa.
- Averting the loss of competitiveness in the global cocoa market vis a vis the increase in demand for cocoa.
- Optimizing the export earnings of our countries for improved socio-economic development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
- Restoring the environment with the use of proper cocoa agroforestry systems;
- Evaluating the overall environmental impact resulting from the different cocoa production systems with the ISO procedural framework for performing LCA “Life Cycle Assessment” (EcoX method tailored for agriculture).
• Do make the following recommendations for the attention of and action by our governments:
PROMOTION OF AGROFORESTRY IN COCOA CULTIVATION IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
- Mainstream agroforestry in cocoa research to enhance the planting and utilization of trees and other tree-crops in cocoa fields.
- Bring together forestry and cocoa experts to analyze and modify the legal framework to enable farmers to benefit from agroforestry.
- Create Farmer awareness on the existing laws on farm tree ownership.
- Incorporate agroforestry in Farmers’ Field School curricula, Extension Services and Agriculture and Forestry Faculties in Universities.
- Compile and evaluate agroforestry experiences and recommend a list of key species to be promoted in cocoa cultivation in West and Central Africa.
- Support farmers with production of agroforestry tree planting materials.
STRATEGIES TO RESTORE AND MAINTAIN SOIL FERTILITY IN COCOA CULTIVATION IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
- Compost cocoa pod and other available residues and apply them to cocoa fields.
- Periodically monitor the impact of socio-economic status of farmers on soil management in cocoa growing areas.
- Put in place an efficient system to make fertilizers available and affordable to farmers.
- Put in place an efficient agricultural extension system, specifically for cocoa cultivation.
- Develop a functioning research – extension – farmers’ linkage to address emerging problems in cocoa fields.
- Enhance farmers’ share of the world market price for cocoa (good pricing is a very important incentive to boost cocoa production).
- Recognize and use agroforestry to enhance soil fertility.
- Promote good agricultural practices in cocoa fields.
FERTILIZATION STRATEGIES AND POLICIES IN COCOA CULTIVATION IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
- Formulate and enforce legislation on local production, importation and sale of fertilizers.
- Ensure quality assurance and quality control for fertilizers.
- Identify/establish a reliable soil testing laboratory for farmers in each member country.
- Identify and map out the major cocoa producing soils in the various agro-ecological zones in each country.
- Develop and revise the right type of fertilizer mixtures for the identified benchmark soils periodically.
- Ensure good marketing infrastructure for cocoa produce in each country.
- Make fertilizers available and affordable to farmers by providing credit facilities with requisite arrangements for loan recovery.
- Subject all policies to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
Special recommendation for the implementation of the above: the formation of a committee composed of two members from each cocoa producing country in West and Central Africa to plan the implementation of the main workshop recommendations under COPAL supervision.
Workshop constituent countries and Institutions.
Countries: Ghana, Togo, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Costa Rica, France, Uganda
Institutions: COCOBOD, COPAL, CRIG, CATIE (Costa Rica), CIRAD (France), Agrinputs (France), CNRA (Cote d’Ivoire), KNUST, University of Ghana, CSIR-SARI(Ghana), UDS, CSIR-FORIG(Ghana), CSIR-CRI(Ghana), Ghana Agri-inputs distributors(SIDALCO, CHEMICO, YARA, DIZENGOFF Gh. Ltd, WIENCO), Cocoa Abrabopa Association, Ghana Cocoa Coffee Sheanut Farmers Association (GCCSF), CRAF-Togo, ANADER(Cote d’Ivoire), UTCC (Togo), SODECAO (Cameroun), IFDC (Ghana), CAISTAB (Gabon), IITA(Uganda), STCP(Ghana), World Cocoa Foundation(WCF)