CABI and cocoa Theobroma cacao: ‘food of the Gods’
With thanks to our partners and donors who include: Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigacion y Enseñanza (CATIE, Costa Rica) United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS, USA) Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG, Ghana) The UK Department for International Development (DfID, UK) Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR, Australia) The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO, UK) Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC, Fiji) Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV, Netherlands) The European Cocoa Association (ECA, Belgium) Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of the EU (CAOBISCO, Belgium) Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD, Cameroon) Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA, Côte d’Ivoire) Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN, Nigeria) Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI, Indonesia)
CABI works throughout the cocoa chain with our many partners including: producers, national agricultural research institutes from producing countries, traders, manufacturers and policy makers. Diagnosing pest and disease problems in the field, conducting applied research to enhance existing management practices, developing and communicating best practice to farmers and extensionists, as well as advising on trade and quarantine policy issues – just a few examples of the work we do on commodity crops to improve farmer’s livelihoods and commodity sustainability.
2.5 million smallholder farmers grow cocoa. Demand is growing at 2-3% per year. Future sustainability of supply – from environmental, social and economic perspectives – is vital to producers, consumers and the cocoa industry as a whole. The impacts of our work to date include: • building of expertise and capacity in cocoa producing countries • improving on-farm practices through enhanced farmer understanding of alternative, ecologically sound agronomic methods and better ways of using pesticides • helping cocoa producing regions to understand quarantine issues more fully and be able to respond to them • increased cocoa yields and returns to farmers, traders and ultimately national economies, leading to improved livelihoods • improving communication on cocoa-related issues through global dissemination of our books, videos and newsletters.
National Confectioners Association (NCA, USA) Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia) Mars Asia Pacific, Australia
Contact: Julie Flood, Global Director Commodities, CABI, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, TW209TY, United Kingdom
We have over 150 combined years of experience in working with cocoa – helping smallholder cocoa growers compete in global markets.
Tel: +44 (0)1491 829043 Email: j.flood@cabi.org
www.cabi.org
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
g Frosty Pod Rot case study: Controllin
Cocoa pods developing on a tree
diseases is one of the two major by Moniliophthora roreri sed y cau onl t tly Ro d ren Po cur t sty Ro Fro sty Pod a. On a global scale, Fro t is Ro d Po sty Fro of cocoa in Latin Americ ere wh of total annual losses but es such accounts for around 5% ,overtaking other diseas es the most destructive om e cases som in and n present it quickly bec mo 80% pod loss is com d. po ck bla and at to om thre l bro as witches’ immediate and rea Frosty Pod Rot poses an %. 100 ch rea . can ean ses los in the Caribb zil and Bolivia as well as cocoa production in Bra t our intensive and difficul thods which are often lab led e hav and t Ro d Conventional control me Po sty to halt the progress of Fro n to implement have failed BI and partners have bee CA . ies teg stra trol con tive rna a spp. alte erm for hod rch Tric sea as a h to gal endophytes, suc fun ved vol coe of use investigating the phthora roreri. agents to control Monilio as potential biocontrol tives in Ecuador were from cocoa and its rela d late iso es ess hyt op end Fungal scale field trials to ass tor y methods and smallse oni col to ility screened using labora ab their ivit y towards M. roreri and promising st mo the of their mycoparasitic act two ults ds. Based on these res largecocoa seedlings and po num, were selected for lisporum and T. har zia ova a thods me n atio plic ap isolates, Trichoderm and propriate formulation ap op vel de to ls ted tria gra d scale fiel use in an inte assess their potential for for biocontrol agents and far are encouraging; the so ts sul Re t. Ro t Frosty Po management system for trols in increasing the con effective as chemical as s wa l It has tro con l tro biocon nce of Frosty Pod Rot. and reducing the incide can s ent ag l tro con bio number of healthy pods on of the improving the formulati ls. tro also been shown that con al mic e beyond those of che increase its performanc
case study: Cocoa Pod Borer
Mirid damage on mature cocoa pods
Cocoa mirid (Helopeltis sp.), a major insect pest
www.cabi.org
Conopomorpha cra merella – or the coco a pod borer moth – cocoa pods. When lays its eggs on the lar vae hatch the y bore into the growin damaging the place g cocoa pods nta and the cocoa beans don’t develop bean fermentation properly and is subsequently aff ected. Due to its pro this innocuous lookin lific breeding rate, g insect is dif ficult to manage and is now serious threats to the one of the most cocoa industry in So utheast Asia and the Pacific. It is now generally ac cepted that eradicati on is not an option eco-rational techniqu but using es to manage and control it is the best way for ward. The current project aims to help farmers manage the cocoa effectively. CABI’s rol pod borer e is to help develop effective techniques manage infestation to detect and s. Integrated Pest Ma nagement (IPM) inv variety of manageme olves using a nt strategies. By en couraging natural en improving sanitation emies and in the growing area the need for harmful pesticides will be red chemical uced, thereby safeg uarding farmers’ he environment. A traini alth and the ng programme was developed so coco learn about cocoa a farmers can pests and diseases, and importantly, ho the resource -matche w to implement d management and surveillance progra protect their crop. mmes to help
Frosty Pod rot symptoms
case study : Pesticide s and safe A range of p r cocoa ests and d
iseases, incl pod borer, ca uding pod ro n be highly ts, co destructive and quality and cause co coa mirids (capsids) an of cocoa bea d nsiderable re ns. As a resu pesticides, ductions in lt producers but these co yield worldwide tu nstitute a si the farmer, gnificant fin rn to chemic local comm ancial cost al unity and en is also public and present vironment if concern over a risk to no t us ed pesticide co increasingly appropriate ntamination stringent re ly. There gulations im of foodstuffs is working w posed by co ; coupled w ith producin co ith a g importing co countries in cocoa indus untries. CAB Africa and A tries to asse I sia as well as ss the supp countr y sup ly and use of the importin ply chain as g pesticides th a basis for m roughout th aking future e inimprovemen Through this ts. work it has been possib being used le to determ , how and fr ine which p om where th use and the esticides ar ey are supp manner in w e lied, the reas hich they ar have also b oning behin e used. Hea een analysed d their lth and safe . Based on awareness ty implicatio this informat raising activ ns ion, training ities are bei bet ter pestic and other ng designe ide practice d an d w im ith cocoa stak plemented in the coco eholders ar to promote a community e becoming . As a cons select and bet ter inform equence, use pesticid ed es an in a more ra d bet ter eq This will lead uipped to tional and a to safer and more respo more sustai standards re nsible man na quired for in ble productio ner. ternational n of beans trade. that meet
Tasty products of cocoa
ng cocoa for ti a it il b a h e R : y case stud South Pacific e th in s d o o h li e improving liv ers in the South
lder farm s has led smallho decline world cocoa price has resulted in a s thi d an A decade of low es tre a co co g the ir rin the du neglect ecast to rise Pacific Islands to arket prices are for m r, ve we Ho n. in cocoa productio d diseases next decade. include pests an tion in this region uc od ed by rats. pr us a ca co e co ag to Constraints ivora) and dam lm pa a or hth disease top an d (Phy egrated pest d such as Black Po reased through int inc tion to the en be att uld gh co n ou be improved thr Cocoa productio uld wo ty ali qu DM), while management (IP dr ying processes. d an ks, ion tat en ferm coa farmer networ three Vanuatu co the of of ch g ea din in an s er m d underst By inter viewing far el of awareness an ral, ed the current lev ods such as cultu eth m DM IP e CABI has assess ibl ss po the d an s disease ted. cocoa pests and t can be implemen emical control tha ch d an l ge of ica log bio demonstrate a ran BI will explain and CA , resistant ols of e ho us Sc , ld on as phytosanitati ch Through Farmer Fie su d, Po ck gement na Bla control of and shade ma IPDM methods for hniques of pruning tec ral ne ge to d re mo establishe varieties, as well as k. Trial plots will be ord ch farming networ ea lead farmers will rec of d an ers ds mb tho me me to M IPD t en fer dif lection of period. demonstrate a se the 12 month trial each method over for uts inp r ou lab their
Cocoa farmer with pesticide application equipment
Harvesting cocoa
Delivery of cocoa to a trader’s warehouse
Sun drying of beans on a farm
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE