COCOA UNDER SHADE, A PILLAR OF DEVELOPMENT IN WOLEU-NTEM (GABON)

Type of mission

In order to combat deforestation and poverty, the project aims to improve the productivity of village cocoa farms, but above all to encourage the practice of agroforestry for quality, sustainable and deforestation-free production.

As cocoa under shade is known for its superior quality, it will allow producers to access a reliable and profitable market.

The project will also explore marketable non-timber forest products available in the area to diversify and increase the income of the local population and provide economic value to the iconic trees.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The project is being implemented in the province of Woleu-Ntem, the area most affected by logging and where the old cocoa plantations are still found.

The province of Woleu-Ntem is located in the north of Gabon where the rural exodus has considerably reduced the density of the active population. The Minkébé National Park, a vast protected area of 8,000 km2 , is located in the heart of the equatorial forest where local communities and indigenous peoples live side by side.

Although the development of cocoa farming in the 1970s enabled many families to assert themselves socially and economically, today this crop is stagnating or even declining in the region. The new government policies, oriented towards the exploitation of natural resources such as wood, have devalued agriculture. A large number of farmers have therefore abandoned cocoa production in the province, although some are persevering despite the difficulties encountered.

The agro-climatic conditions in the province are conducive to cocoa cultivation, and the return of a strong global demand for cocoa is a boon for forest communities.

It is also an important challenge for the producers. They need to boost their productivity while :

reducing their pressure on forests and ecosystems
increasing the productivity and quality of the beans
selling the beans to the Caisse de Stabilisation et de Péréquation (CAISTAB), which collects cocoa on credit and has a considerable delay before paying its debt
diversifying their sources of income.

ACTIVITIES AND IMPACTS

In support of our local partner Brainforest, the specific objectives of the project are

To improve productivity through the rehabilitation of 50 ha of old plantations

To promote a profitable and quality production (5 tons / year) by the supply of equipment and plant material and by the reinforcement of capacities of 30 producers on the good agricultural practices

Structure the producers by grouping them into 1 agricultural cooperative and training them in management, marketing and sales

Advocate for a change in the cocoa marketing model in Gabon to ensure that producers receive payment for their cocoa at the edge of the field with a zero deforestation premium. Analyse the non-timber forest products that can be developed by the local population to diversify their sources of income.

TOOLS & RESSOURCES

leaflet
COCOA UNDER SHADE

Download

Learn more

PARTNERS

FONDATION MAISONS DU MONDE

Created at the end of 2015, the Maisons du Monde Foundation is committed to protecting forests and their biodiversity.

The foundation supports three complementary areas of activity in favour of forests: preserving forests, enhancing the value of wood and mobilising for the environment.

EUROFINS FOuNDATION

The Eurofins Foundation supports initiatives that resonate with its core objectives of protecting the environment, improving nutrition and health, and supporting people in need in countries where Eurofins operates.

https://www.eurofins.com/eurofins-foundation/

CONTACT

Obtain further information and support our products (skill-based sponsorship, buying pro-biodiversity products, partnerships etc.)

CAMILLE AFFANA NKOA

Cameroon Coordinator

caffana@noe.org

THESE PROGRAMMES MAY INTEREST YOU

BIONAT ORGANIC AND NATURAL PRODUCTS (CAMEROON)

The BIONAT programme aims to create links between the conservation of biodiversity and the economic development of the populations living around the Dja Biosphere Reserve and the Bénoué National Park in Cameroon

L'une des ambitions des Prairies de Noé est de restaurer des zones de refuge, de reproduction et d'alimentation en faveur des insectes pollinisateurs et de l'ensemble de la biodiversité prairiale. Ce programme répond aussi à fort besoin d'amélioration des connaissances sur les pollinisateurs sauvages.

Learn about the program

MOABI AND KEVAZINGO: TREES WITH HIGH SOCIAL VALUE (CAMEROON, GABON)

Moabi and Kevazingo are sacred and mythical species for local communities who use them for medicinal and spiritual purposes. But they are also highly sought-after species on the international market for their wood. Illegal logging poses a real risk to the survival of these two species.

L’Opération papillons est un observatoire de sciences participatives lancé en 2006 et porté par Noé et le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. Il propose à tout un chacun, néophytes comme naturalistes confirmés, de recenser et compter les papillons de jour de son jardin, balcon ou parc public en vue d'améliorer la connaissance et la recherche scientifiques.

Learn about the program