Coffee and cocoa production in agroforestry - a climate-smart agriculture model

Agroforestry should be a major climate-smart agriculture option as it combines sustainable production with adaptation and mitigation of climate change. In recent decades, cocoa and coffee cultivation have been responsible for the loss of more than 30 million ha of primary and secondary forests, and thus for increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, they also have a substantial mitigation potential via the 20 million ha currently in production, only part of which is managed under agroforestry. These agroforestry plantations are more stable over time and resilient against climate change and price volatility of agricultural products, by combining ecological services with diversified production. This chapter illustrates these features through research results obtained on three continents and proposes recommendations on the management of these systems and on public policies—from the farm to the territory. (Résumé d'auteur)