Suchergebnisse

Author Addendum Article; Published online: 27 October 2016 ; The increased use of sustainability standards in the international trade in cocoa challenges companies to find effective modes of service delivery to large numbers of small-scale farmers. A case study of the Sustainable Tree Crops Program targeting the small-scale cocoa producers in Côte d'Ivoire supplying international commodity markets shifts attention from mechanisms of private governance to the embedding of service delivery in the institutional dynamics of the state. It demonstrates that, despite a recent history of violent conflict and civil unrest, the introduced Farmer Field Schools programme achieved a surprising scale in terms of numbers and geographical spread. The analysis of this outcome combines political science and anthropological studies of effective and developmental elements in the state with the interest in institutional work found in organization science. The scaling of a new form of service delivery is explained by the skillful practices of institutional work by managers of a public–private partnership. They have been professionally associated with the sector for a long time and had the capacity to embed new forms of service delivery in persistent pockets of bureaucratic effectiveness in a failed state. ; Peer Review

United States Agency for International Development ; World Cocoa Foundation ; Government of the Netherlands ; Peer Review

STCP tools for the rehabilitation of West African cocoa farms Cacao tree stocks in West Africa are mainly established from seeds procured from farmers' fields. This planting material lacks the disease tolerance and yield potential of the hybrid seed. Productivity is also affected by the old age of West Africa's tree stock. Replacing and rehabilitating the tree stocks of West Africa is fundamental to the achievement and long-run sustainability of a cocoa Brown Revolution. The STCP has developed a Planting, Replanting and Diversification (PRD) training package to provide farmers the knowledge and technical skills needed to rehabilitate old cocoa farms or reclaim degraded areas using hybrids. However, a major constraint to hybrid adoption is a lack of access to hybrid seeds. To overcome this constraint, STCP introduced a Seed Brokerage System (SBS) for the collective acquisition of hybrid seeds by farmer field school groups from government production units. An initial evaluation of 375 randomly selected trainees revealed that the mean participant had successfully established 0.4 ha of hybrid cocoa seedling with an 81% seedling survival rate after two dry seasons. Approximately half of the surveyed trainees had replanted old farms while half had established new farms on degraded fallow land. The SBS also brokered timber seedlings for farmers desiring to include high-value timber (Terminalia ivorensis and T. superb) as permanent shade in their production system. The mean participant reported the successful establishment of 12 timber seedlings which is equivalent to 30 trees per hectare. Farmers favored the SBS innovation and are seeking its continuance. ; Peer Review

Global demand for cocoa is increasing by 2-3% annually, particularly due to growth in Asia. About 70% of global supply originates from West-Africa where cocoa is produced by smallholder farmers (<5 ha). Their yields are low (10-30% of potential) and highly variable with limited use of external nutrient inputs. Over the past decades, cocoa supply relied largely on the expansion of the crop into 'fresh' forest. Consequently, cocoa has been a key driver of deforestation. With less than 15% of the original cover in West Africa remaining, the cocoa industry is increasingly concerned about its future supply, particularly now that recent studies revealed that climate change further threatens the current production zones. Climate-smart intensification is required to ensure both smallholder livelihoods and the industry's need. Over the past decades, many of the cocoa actors have promoted full-sun intensified systems. Whereas these systems have the highest production potential, they do expose farmers to risks of climate variability and reduced sustainability. Fertilizer use is currently limited to areas where fallow land is no longer available and/or where government programs (read subsidies) enhance access to external nutrient inputs. There is an urgent need for (i) technical recommendations on how to achieve intensified climate-smart cocoa systems and (ii) improved channels of communicating this knowledge to the smallholders. In this presentation, we give an update on where the key research actors are with respect to climate-smart intensification technologies and approaches. The challenge faced may require enhanced networks and novel platforms in a sector that is traditionally characterized by a high degree of fragmentation. (Texte intégral)