Ghana, West Africa
Cocoa Facts
* Cocoa is the world’s third most important agricultural export commodity, after coffee and sugar and a major earner for foreign income for countries such as Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana that dominate production
* Cocoa is the major agricultural commodity in lowland forests of West Africa, where about 60% of the world’s cocoa is produced
* It is currently estimated that there are about 2,988,395 acres of land cultivated with cocoa in Ghana
* Cocoa farming becomes a destructive circle as farmers wear out the soils and cut further into the forest to obtain fresh land. All of these processes stress the Cacao trees and result in lower yields.
* Cocoa is the major agricultural commodity in lowland forests of West Africa, where about 60% of the world’s cocoa is produced
* It is currently estimated that there are about 2,988,395 acres of land cultivated with cocoa in Ghana
* Cocoa farming becomes a destructive circle as farmers wear out the soils and cut further into the forest to obtain fresh land. All of these processes stress the Cacao trees and result in lower yields.
* As yields decline due to degraded soil, the farmers must then clear more rainforest for new plantations. The rainforest is not only an important habitat in its own right, but its removal is also affecting the icroclimate and changing rainfall patterns, compounding the negative effects of global warning
* Recent figures show that West Africa’s cocoa production doubled between 1987 and 2007 with most of this increase fueled by clearing forest areas, resulting in large losses of biodiversity and high carbon emissions
* To increase cocoa yield, some farms were established in clear-cut forests providing poor habitats for a wide range of biodiversity. In such instances, there is increased cocoa yield, but this puts significant ecological stresson the cocoa trees, which become susceptible to pest attacks and productivity decline within a relatively few years.
*If the crops begin to accumulate pests, farmers use large amounts of herbicides to rid the crops of these pests
* Recent figures show that West Africa’s cocoa production doubled between 1987 and 2007 with most of this increase fueled by clearing forest areas, resulting in large losses of biodiversity and high carbon emissions
* To increase cocoa yield, some farms were established in clear-cut forests providing poor habitats for a wide range of biodiversity. In such instances, there is increased cocoa yield, but this puts significant ecological stresson the cocoa trees, which become susceptible to pest attacks and productivity decline within a relatively few years.
*If the crops begin to accumulate pests, farmers use large amounts of herbicides to rid the crops of these pests
*Cocoa is naturally a rainforest plant that grows in shady conditions surrounded by a high biodiversity. But hybrid varieties are now grown on plantations--cleared land in full sun. While this intensive farming approach increases short-term yields, it is suitable only for hybrid plants, which are increasingly replacing native cocoa.Unfortunately, these hybrid plants require the application of copious amounts of agrochemicals (fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and fungicides.) This, combined with large expanses of open fields, leads to increased erosion and run-off, reducing soil fertility, contributing to water contamination and health problems, and causing the disappearance of rare birds, mammals, and plants. herbicides to rid the crops of these pests
COCOA PRODUCTIONS
Some of the forests in Ghana and other Cocoa producing countries have been declared protected by the government after observing the Tropical Rainforest destruction. However, with a shortage of fresh land to plant Cacao trees, some farmers are beginning to illegally cut down parts of these protected forests. It has been estimated that approximately 50% of these protected forests have been cut down.
SOLUTIONS
Through groups and programs such as the World Cocoa Foundation, Rainforest Alliance and Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy, cocoa farming can return to its sustainable roots through education programs and help in finding ecologically and economically sound resources to further their farming. As a last resort, some programs will help farmers to access pest control products such as biocides as an alternative to the harmful pesticides being used. Other programs promote proper irrigation, composting, suitable soil management, and intercropping, meaning planting other trees and fruit crops in the surrounding land of the Cacao trees. Some farmers will burn old, fermented pods and place them back on the soil as a form of composting and fertilizer. To stop the process of deforestation, it is suggested that farmers replant on their current land while using the practices previously mentioned.