Using Production Innovations to Reduce Climatic Shocks: Insights from Cocoa Farmers in Santchou, West Region, Cameroon

Moye Eric Kongnso; Tiomo Emmanuel Dongfack; Ngezem Randy

Moye Eric Kongnso
Tiomo Emmanuel Dongfack
Ngezem Randy

Keywords: сlimatic shocks, cocoa production, production innovations, adaptation, Santchou

Abstract

In tropical Africa, agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to the vagaries of weather. This study seeks to establish the nexus between climate change and production innovations adopted by cocoa farmers and stakeholders. Adopting a mixed methods approach, questionnaires were administered to 101 purposively selected cocoa farmers and in-depth interviews were carried out with 11 stakeholders of the cocoa sector. Climatic data for the period 1981 to 2019 was downloaded from NASA power. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data collected revealed a falling trend for cocoa yields due to a change in climatic conditions. The study found that cocoa production innovations have been adopted by farmers. Improvement in the construction of nurseries (27.7%), spacing of cocoa plants (17.8%), timing in fertilizer application and cocoa treatment (20.8%), use of improved seedlings (33.7%) have lessened the adverse effects of climate on cocoa production. It was revealed that regular follow up is important to detect diseases or pests quickly and take timely and appropriate actions while the spacing of cocoa trees can be modified to increase yields and minimize the impacts of climate change. Proper fertilization helps improve resistance to pests and diseases and enhance plant ability to withstand climate extremes. However, cocoa farmers have challenges adopting these innovations due to their technical, financial and information limitations. The adoption of innovations needs to be enhanced through capacity building, information dissemination and financial assistance to farmers.

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