Detection and spatial distribution of pesticides in cocoa farming in Ivory Coast

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Ivory Coast is the world's leading cocoa producer with more than 40% of market volumes. But its production is confronted with the scourge of innumerable pests of cocoa trees favored by the sub-equatorial and humid tropical natural environment. The main response strategy chosen is the use of pesticides. However, this practice has consequences for terrestrial and aquatic environments. Thus, the objective of this work is to quantify the concentrations of 22 pesticides from the official list of approved for cocoa cultivation in Ivory Coast in water (running and phreatic), soils and cocoa bean on ten sites across the entire production basin to understand their transfer between the different matrices. The results show contamination at all sites and in all studied matrices and underline that fungicides are the most frequently detected pesticides. And among them pyraclostrobin is the main one. This omnipresence of fungicides is explained by the high prevalence of cryptogamic diseases causing pod rot because they constitute the main health concern, with losses of 30% or even 40% in production, compared to cocoa swollen shoot disease and insect pests. The spatial distribution reveals variability in contamination between sites: southern areas, which are wetter, generally show higher concentrations. The study highlights the need for pesticide monitoring and the importance of understanding their transfer (soil-water) in order to reduce environmental impacts, ensure sustainable production and protect one health (human and environmental.</p>