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Agroforestry to Integrated Pest Management: The Cocoa4Future experience

Contribution of Agroforestry to Integrated Pest Management (focus on CSSV) and the Cocoa4Future experience, by Régis Babin (CIRAD).

Presentations & Public Speaking◦
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Plant diversification in cocoa plantations: A sustainable strategy against cocoa swollen shoot virus disease in Côte d’Ivoire DG INTPA monthly talks on agroecology 16/04/2026
Context Cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire is vulnerable to climatic and plant health risks Cocoa production statistics for Côte d’Ivoire and international market price (2000-2025) ● During the 2023/2024 season, cocoa production fell sharply by an estimated 20% in Côte d'Ivoire ● As a result, the price of cocoa on the world market more than tripled, reaching nearly $7,500 per tone in 2024 ● Heavy rainfall and a high incidence of diseases and pests, including pod rot and swollen shoot are believed to be responsible 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 Production CI (kt) 500 1500 2500 3500 4500 5500 6500 7500 8500 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021 2024 Price (USD/t)
Context Cocoa swollen shoot virus, a expanding disease in Côte d’Ivoire CSSV prevalence map (Cocoa4future network) Total incidence (2021-2023) ≈ 11.7% ● No curative treatment exists - current control relies on uprooting infected trees and replanting, a costly and logistically demanding measure ● Full-sun monocultures appear to facilitate mealybug vector proliferation and rapid within- plantation spread ● Vegetative diversification (shade trees, barrier crops) offers a promising, scalable approach to reduce vector movement and disease impact Prevalence (%)
Cocoa swollen shoot, a highly diversified complex of species Trophobiosis Vection Virus (6/10 var.) Mealybugs (17 esp.) Ants (51 esp.)
Not diverse Young and diverse Old and diverse Impact of agroforestry on mealybug vector regulation by natural enemies Highest levels of predation/parasitism Predatory gall midges Parasitoid wasps Lowest regulation Highest diversity of ants (ground) Medium regulation Establishment of highly aggressive arboreal ants Few habitats for NE More habitats for NE
Assessment of shade effect on CSSV • Shade tree density > 50 trees/ha limits the incidence of CSSV in plantations (ARS 1000 standard = 25-40 trees/ha) • At plantation scale, shade limits symptoms/damage on cocoa in CSSV outbreaks • Stress from high light exposure and low soil moisture likely reduces cocoa tolerance to CSSV
Assessment of barrier crops in new plantations A network of 14 plots with barriers implemented in 2019 CSSV outbreak Barriers Cocoa Plantain Cocoa Acacia mangium 2 demonstration plots, 4 plots with coffee hedges, 4 plots with Acacia mangium, hedges, 4 control plots with cocoa hedges Coffee Cocoa
Monitoring of mealybug vectors and CSSV symptoms in plots with barriers F. njalensis ● Mealybug vectors entered the plots quickly despite the barriers (less than one year after planting) ● First CSSV symptoms observed ~3 years after planting in a control plot ● Later CSSV occurrence (year 4) in a coffee- barrier plot suggests some infectious vectors bypass barriers (e.g., via ants or wind) ● 6 years after planting : 9 of 12 test plots did not develop CSSV symptoms: 2/4 control plots and 3/4 coffee-barrier plots; 4/4 acacia-barrier plots
What would the farmers prefer to plant in the hedges? 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Oil palm Cashew tree Garcinia kola Ricinodendron heudelotii Rubber tree Coffee Irvingia gabonensis Teak Avocado tree Terminalia superba Gmenila arborea Acacia Xylopia aethiopica Bixa orellana Terminalia ivorensis Mango Tieghemella africana Jatropha Entries Choices are primarily based on socio-economic factors
CSSV management at the landscape scale • Epidemiological modeling: using the Landsepi model with local data from the ECAM cooperative (Méagui) to simulate CSSV spread • Landscape drivers: results identify cacao proportion and host aggregation (spatial layout) as key levers for regulating virus propagation • Collective management: development of a serious game prototype to explore landscape diversification and foster community-led disease management ~1 ha/an ~0.5-0.7 ha/an ~0.6 ha/an
Recommendations • Ecological control: diversify cocoa systems with trees to boost natural regulation of mealybugs and manually manage black ant nests • Enhanced shade: aim for 50 trees/ha (higher than standard) to protect cocoa trees from water stress and mitigate disease impact (especially in highly infected areas) • Barrier crops: implement multi-species hedges during farm rehabilitation to block virus spread • Collective action: empower cooperatives to lead landscape-scale management, balancing individual profitability with collective resilience
Thank you! Alain Déron KOFFI PhD UFHB Juslin K. Koigny PhD UFHB Agathe DUMONT PhD Univ. Montpellier + Master students Freddy Gnandet (UJLoG) Serge Kpangui (UFHB) UFHB + CIRAD team: M. Ouali N’Guessan Emmanuelle Muller Julien Haran Fabienne Ribeyre Loreleï Guéry To all the farmers who welcomed us !