Developing cacao agroforestry systems for a sustainable, diversified production in Nigeria Oloyede, A.A., Adedeji, A.R., Famaye, A.O., Olaniyi, O.O. Akanbi, O.S.O and Shittu, T.R.
Cocoa Research institute of Nigeria, CRIN, PMB 5244, Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan [email protected]
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Introduction
• Cacao as a high-valued commodity crop • origin in the Amazonian forest as an under-storey plant. • Attainment of a crop status made its cultivation spread to many tropical regions of the world with West Africa sub-region accounting about 70% of global production. • Traditionally monoculture cacao is not common in Nigeria • Arrays of timber, treecrops, fruit crops, and none- timber forest products (NTFPs) are deliberately retained or planted by farmers.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Importance of intercropping
• sources of income, • food, • construction, • medicine, • nutrients, • cultural needs • Environmental services. • Guide against crop failure
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Arrangement on the field
• These intercrops are 2016 Nexthaphazardly Generation Cocoa included Research Symposium in cacao plantations
• No scientific evaluation of the systems.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Why agroforestry?
• land scarcity for new planting. • Currently there is over 600,000ha of cacao plantations in Nigeria • Ages of plantation over 50 years sustained by the overstorey of timbers and tree crops • Ensure crops and products diversification
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Need for prioritization
• Prioritizing the choice crops, timber species and NFTPs in the systems across cacao ecologies in Nigeria becomes imperative.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Earlier research efforts in cacao diversification • Cacao/oilpalm Intercropping with varying geometry of avenue and hollow square • Cacao/kola intercropping • Cacao/kola/citrus • Cacao/foodcrops(cassava,yam,c owpea,cocoyam,plantain)
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Farmers practices
• Earlier survey by Asare(2005) revealed some forest tree, NTFPs inclusion in cacao cropping systems in Ghana,Nigeria, cote Divoire Cameroon • Survey by Oloyede et al confirms agroforestry practices. 2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium A typical cacao agroforest in Osun State Nigeria
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Table 1:Some Identified forest trees and none timber species in cocoa plantation in Cross River State
S/N Species Common name Scientific name Local name Uses Type of species 1 Bush mango Irvingia Ogbono/oro Condiment and Fruit gabonensi sale s 2 Sweet orange Citrus sinensis Orange Consumption and Fruit sale 3 Oilpalm Elaeis Palm tree Consumption and Palm guinensis sale 4 Bush pear Dacryodes Ube Consumption and Fruit edulis sale 5 Sand paper tree Ficus Okpi/Ipin Antitermite/firew Tree exasperat ood a 6 Mango Mangifera Nsang Consumption and Fruit indica sale 7 Newboudia Newboudia Efu-nfam/akoko Boundary Tree laeva demarcation and chieftaincy 8 Coconut Cocos nucifera Mbang- Consumption and nkara/agbon sale 2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium 9 Wonderful kola Hydrocotyle Obiawogbaarun Medicinal-local Tree Table 1 Contn…
10 Cotton tree Ceiba petandra Cotton tree Timber and Tree medicinal 11 Boundary tree Newbouldia Etu, peregun in Life boundary Tree laevis yoruba demarcation 12 Eti-nda Medicinal and Tree antitheft
13 Antiaris Antiaris Oro in yoruba Timber species Tree africana especially for furniture 14 Iroko Milicia excelsa Nsan, Iroko Timber species Tree 15 African nutmeg Pycnanthus akomu in Planted or Tree angolensi Yoruba.Mpan retained for s (Welw.) tiin Ikom shade in Warb. coffee and cocoa plantations, Canoe making and medicinal 16 Guava Psidium Fruit Fruit tree guajava 2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium 17 Star apple Chrysophyllum Agbalumo Timber and Tree albidum medicine Table 1 contn…
18 Kola Cola nitida - Cash and Fruit traditional 19 Black afara Terminalia - Timber Tree ivorensis 20 White afara Terminalia - Timber Tree superba 21 Walnut Pluckennetia Nkat Climber Nut eaten and for conophor sale a 22 Raffia palm Raffia hookeri Wine Tree
23 Cotton tree Ceiba petandra - Timber Tree 24 Ficus Ficus Okpi Firewood Tree exasperat e 25 Pycnanthus Pycnanthus Npanti Plywood Tree angolensi s 26 Eti-Nda Yet to be Eti-Nda For protection Tree identified against pilfering on 2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposiumfarm Table 1 contn…
27 Albizia Albizia Sp Atare Timber,Fuel Tree wood and permanent shade 28 Avocado Persia - Fruit Fruit tree americana 29 Black pepper Piper - Condiment Climber guinensis and for sale 30 Red acalypas - Marking Horticultura point of l plant transplanted cacao Source: Field Survey (2014)
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Table 2: Some Identified forest trees and none timber species in cocoa plantation in Ondo State,Nigeria
S/N Species Common Scientific name Local name Uses Type of species name
1 Iroko Milicia excelsa Iroko Timber Tree
2 Ficus Ficus sp Ipin Fuelwood Tree 3 Celtis Celtis zenkeri Ita Timber Tree
4 Kola Cola nitida Obi Cashcrop Tree 5 Bush butter Dacryodis edulis Ube Food and cash Fruit tree
6 Orange Citrus sinensis Osan Food and cash Fruit tree
7 Wild cola Cola gigantia Ogbungbun Timber Tree
8 Palm tree Elaeis guineensis Ope Food and cash Palm
9 Albizia Albizia zigia Ayunre Timber,shade Tree
10 Black afara Terminalia Idigbo Timber,shade Tree ivonrensis
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Table2 Contn…
11 White afara Gmelina Igi isana Timber,Shade Tree arborea 12 Gliricidia Gliricidia Agunmaniy Fertilizer,fuel,foreag Tree sepium e e 13 Obeche Triplochito Arere Timber,matches,leaf Tree n as vegetable scleroxylon 14 False iroko Antiaris Oro Timber Tree africana 15 Newbouldi Newbouldi Akoko Boundary Tree a a laevis plant,timber 16 Mango Mangifera mangoro Fruit Tree indica 17 Avocado Persea Pear Food and cash Fruit americana Tree 18 Guava Psium Guava Fruit andcash Fruit tree guajava Source: Field survey (2014)
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Factors to be considered in selecting shade plants for cocoa
• provide good overhead shade within a short time(50% light infiltration optimal for cacao) • should not compete with cacao for water and soil nutrients • should be easy to remove when no longer needed • should not serve as alternate hosts to pests • should be of commercial value • The selection process should be participatory
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Agroforestry and cacao soils
• The presence of trees in the ecosystem can influence the nutrient content of the soil through its influence on soil structure, biological activities and nutrient recycling. • The deep root of the trees can tap nutrients from the deep down the soil profile where crop roots cannot reach and are brought to the surface for the use of the intercrops.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Some identified fertilizer plants
• Acacia albida;Acioa barteri;Albizia sp;Alchornia cordifolia;Anthonotha macrophilla;Cajanus cajan;Calliandra Sp;Flemingia congesta ;Gliricidia sepium;Grevillea robusta;Leucaena leucocephala;Sesbania sesban;Tephrosia Sp among others Hugues and Philippes(1998).
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Need for better shade
• Some of these species have been used in foodcrop production through alley cropping. • Now that survival of established cacao is getting reduced due largely to the inadequacy of recommended plantain as shade crop as a result of climate change, alternatives have to be sort in some of the above listed species for improved cacao establishment.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Some vital research questions
• Are trees necessary in cacao plantations? • Are the trees beneficial to the growth and yield of cacao? • What are the priority forest trees and NFTPs in cacao plantations? • Is monocropped cacao acceptable among cacao farmers? • Is phenomenon of alleplopathy noticeable in cacao plantations? • Is cacao agroforestry sustainable? • Have we identified desirable and undesirable trees in cacao plantations in Nigeria as obtainable in some other West African countries like Ghana?
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Some vital research questions
• Should we expand cacao cultivation to the remaining forest reserve to increase production? • Can we propagate these timber and none timber species for inclusion in cacao farming systems? • At what densities should they be planted? • Are there ready markets for the integrated fruit trees in cacao agroforest? • Can agroforestry improve farmers livelihood?
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Answers
• Are trees necessary in cacao plantations?Yes,by what we see in Tables 1&2 • Are the trees beneficial to the growth and yield of cacao? Yes and No in Nigeria as desirability and oherwise have not been determined • What are the priority forest trees and NFTPs in cacao plantations? All species are useful one way or the other but there is the need for prioritization • Is monocropped cacao acceptable among cacao farmers in Nigeria? No,as land is limiting and traditional farming system does not believe in single crop. • Is phenomenon of alleplopathy noticeable in cacao plantations? • Is cacao agroforestry sustainable? Not yet verivied and research urgently needed • Have we identified desirable and undesirable trees in cacao plantations in Nigeria as obtainable in some other West African countries like Ghana? Partially but only in few locations
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Answers contn…
• Should we expand cacao cultivation to the remaining forest reserve to increase production? No, as the available land can be maximized in view of global climate change. • Can we propagate these timber and none timber species for inclusion in cacao farming systems? Yes by training cacao farmers and establishment of community nurseries • At what densities should they be planted?Yet to be determined • Are there ready markets for the integrated fruit trees in cacao agroforest? Yes but there are room for improvement • Can agroforestry improve farmers livelihood? Yes, because of product diversification and consequently income of farmers
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium Closing remarks
• Integration,diversification,propagati on,planting densties are very important in developing sustainable cacao farming systems,the stakeholder here present should have identified cacao agroforestry to improve livelihood as in the words of Akoroda(2016) $0.68 on cocoa alone cannot take the farmers home.
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium • Thanks for your rapt attention
2016 Next Generation Cocoa Research Symposium