RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA

Sustainable cocoa production often aims to bring together cocoa cultivation and biodiversity conservation in one landscape. It is therefore important to understand the interaction between these functions, meaning the potential of cocoa farms for biodiversity conservation and the impact of high biodiversity levels on cocoa production. This relates to both faunal and floral diversity, which can be enhanced by using a variety of species for the shade trees on cocoa farms (Anon., personal communication). The relationship has mostly been studied in Neotropical regions and less in West Africa, partly because there are few shaded systems left in which such a study could take place (Anon., personal communication).

One of the relationship that is clear, at least in a theoretical sense, is the effect of pollinators on productivity. Cocoa is primarily pollinated by midgets (genus: Forcipomyia) and their importance should be taken into account in recommendations for chemical use. Indeed, there is an observed effect between chemical use and pod load, which is a measure for pollination (Anon., personal communication).  Insect diversity can also play a role in integrated pest management, for example in the potential use of natural enemies, such as ants that attack capsids (Anon., personal communication). There are also theories on indirect and landscape level relationships between biodiversity and cocoa, such as the effect of forests on rainfall in the area (Anon., personal communication). Finally, the harmful effect of biodiversity on cocoa farms has not been extensively studied yet either (Anon., personal communication) an example animals feeding on the cocoa pods.

In conclusion, the link between biodiversity and the productivity of cocoa farms is yet to be fully understood. If a positive influence of biodiversity on cocoa productivity can be formulated, this might convince private sector parties to increase investments in biodiversity conservation to ensure cocoa supplies (Anon., personal communication). However, to date there has not been a lot of proof of the influence of biodiversity on cocoa productivity. Though there might be some literature on the interaction, this is not yet effectively translated into a useful form to transfer to cocoa farmers. The local knowledge on the interaction needs to be documented and combined with scientific studies (Anon., personal communication).