cabi and cocoa
DESCRIPTION
CABI and CocoaTRANSCRIPT
CABI and cocoaCABI 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.
We have over 150 combined years of experience in working with cocoa – helping smallholder cocoa growers compete in global markets.
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
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)
National Confectioners Association (NCA, USA)
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia)
Mars Asia Pacific, Australia
Theobroma cacao: ‘food of the Gods’
Contact:
Julie Flood, Global Director Commodities, CABI, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, TW209TY, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1491 829043 Email: [email protected]
www.cabi.org
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFEwww.cabi.org
Cocoa pods developing on a tree Tasty products of cocoa
Mirid damage on mature cocoa pods Delivery of cocoa to a trader’s warehouse
Sun drying of beans on a farmHarvesting cocoaFrosty Pod rot symptoms Cocoa farmer with pesticide application equipmentCocoa mirid (Helopeltis sp.), a major insect pest
case study: Controlling Frosty Pod Rot
Frosty Pod Rot caused by Moniliophthora roreri is one of the two major diseases
of cocoa in Latin America. On a global scale, Frosty Pod Rot currently only
accounts for around 5% of total annual losses but where Frosty Pod Rot is
present it quickly becomes the most destructive,overtaking other diseases such
as witches’ broom and black pod. 80% pod loss is common and in some cases
losses can reach 100%. Frosty Pod Rot poses an immediate and real threat to
cocoa production in Brazil and Bolivia as well as in the Caribbean.
Conventional control methods which are often labour intensive and difficult
to implement have failed to halt the progress of Frosty Pod Rot and have led
to a search for alternative control strategies. CABI and partners have been
investigating the use of coevolved fungal endophytes, such as Trichoderma spp.
as potential biocontrol agents to control Moniliophthora roreri.
Fungal endophytes isolated from cocoa and its relatives in Ecuador were
screened using laboratory methods and small-scale field trials to assess
their mycoparasitic activity towards M. roreri and their ability to colonise
cocoa seedlings and pods. Based on these results two of the most promising
isolates, Trichoderma ovalisporum and T. harzianum, were selected for large-
scale field trials to develop appropriate formulation and application methods
for biocontrol agents and assess their potential for use in an integrated
management system for Frosty Pot Rot. Results so far are encouraging; the
biocontrol control was as effective as chemical controls in increasing the
number of healthy pods and reducing the incidence of Frosty Pod Rot. It has
also been shown that improving the formulation of the biocontrol agents can
increase its performance beyond those of chemical controls.
case study: Cocoa Pod BorerConopomorpha cramerella – or the cocoa pod borer moth – lays its eggs on cocoa pods. When the larvae hatch they bore into the growing cocoa pods damaging the placenta and the cocoa beans don’t develop properly and bean fermentation is subsequently affected. Due to its prolific breeding rate, this innocuous looking insect is difficult to manage and is now one of the most serious threats to the cocoa industry in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.It is now generally accepted that eradication is not an option but using eco-rational techniques to manage and control it is the best way forward.The current project aims to help farmers manage the cocoa pod borer effectively. CABI’s role is to help develop effective techniques to detect and manage infestations. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) involves using a variety of management strategies. By encouraging natural enemies and improving sanitation in the growing area the need for harmful chemical pesticides will be reduced, thereby safeguarding farmers’ health and the environment. A training programme was developed so cocoa farmers can learn about cocoa pests and diseases, and importantly, how to implement the resource-matched management and surveillance programmes to help protect their crop.
case study: Pesticides and safer cocoaA range of pests and diseases, including pod rots, cocoa mirids (capsids) and
pod borer, can be highly destructive and cause considerable reductions in yield
and quality of cocoa beans. As a result producers worldwide turn to chemical
pesticides, but these constitute a significant financial cost and present a risk to
the farmer, local community and environment if not used appropriately. There
is also public concern over pesticide contamination of foodstuffs; coupled with
increasingly stringent regulations imposed by cocoa importing countries. CABI
is working with producing countries in Africa and Asia as well as the importing
cocoa industries to assess the supply and use of pesticides throughout the in-
country supply chain as a basis for making future improvements.Through this work it has been possible to determine which pesticides are
being used, how and from where they are supplied, the reasoning behind their
use and the manner in which they are used. Health and safety implications
have also been analysed. Based on this information, training and other
awareness raising activities are being designed and implemented to promote
better pesticide practice within the cocoa community. As a consequence,
cocoa stakeholders are becoming better informed and better equipped to
select and use pesticides in a more rational and a more responsible manner.
This will lead to safer and more sustainable production of beans that meet
standards required for international trade.
case study: Rehabilitating cocoa for
improving livelihoods in the South Pacific
A decade of low world cocoa prices has led smallholder farmers in the South
Pacific Islands to neglect their cocoa trees and this has resulted in a decline
in cocoa production. However, market prices are forecast to rise during the
next decade.
Constraints to cocoa production in this region include pests and diseases
such as Black Pod (Phytophthora palmivora) and damage caused by rats.
Cocoa production could be increased through integrated pest and disease
management (IPDM), while quality would be improved through attention to the
fermentation and drying processes.
By interviewing farmers in each of the three Vanuatu cocoa farmer networks,
CABI has assessed the current level of awareness and understanding of
cocoa pests and diseases and the possible IPDM methods such as cultural,
biological and chemical control that can be implemented.
Through Farmer Field Schools, CABI will explain and demonstrate a range of
IPDM methods for control of Black Pod, such as phytosanitation, use of resistant
varieties, as well as more general techniques of pruning and shade management
to members of each farming network. Trial plots will be established to
demonstrate a selection of different IPDM methods and lead farmers will record
their labour inputs for each method over the 12 month trial period.