Positive Influence of Certification on the Financial Performance of Cocoa Production Models in Cameroon

Guillaume Lescuyer,Simon Bassanaga

doi:10.3389/fsufs.2021.743079

Abstract

Cameroon plans to double its cocoa production in the coming decade in line with international requirements for sustainable and deforestation-free cocoa. Private certification, which has developed considerably in recent years, should help achieve this objective. Based on a literature review and 63 individual interviews with farmers, we identified four archetypes of cocoa production using the criteria of plantation size, degree of shade, and support from public or private extension services. We analyzed the average operating accounts of the four archetypes. Our findings show that the net profit rates obtained by small-scale certified producers are 14% (in the savannah zone) and 24% (in the forest zone). These rates are much higher than for the other two production models. Certification schemes provide technical and financial support, which has a positive influence on the practices of many small-scale producers and compensates for the lack of public services, which are now almost non-existent. A hybrid governance of the cocoa sector in Cameroon could clarify and improve the organization of the interactions between public regulation and private certification systems.

Highlights

Old and New Challenges for Cocoa Production in CameroonThe cocoa (Theobroma cacao) sector has been undergoing significant changes over the past 15 years in response to growing global demand for chocolate and new consumer demands to reduce its environmental footprint and maximize its socio-economic impact on producers (Kroeger et al, 2017; Lernoud et al, 2018)
By drawing on the information in the literature and from our surveys, these three discriminant criteria allowed us to identify four cocoa production archetypes in Cameroon (Table 1). They are completed with descriptive criteria that are drawn from literature and public data from National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB)
The four production archetypes are simplified representations of complex practices, they provide an overall coherent and realistic image of how cocoa production is organized in Cameroon, which is consistent with national statistics, as shown in the Table 2

Summary

Introduction

Old and New Challenges for Cocoa Production in CameroonThe cocoa (Theobroma cacao) sector has been undergoing significant changes over the past 15 years in response to growing global demand for chocolate and new consumer demands to reduce its environmental footprint and maximize its socio-economic impact on producers (Kroeger et al, 2017; Lernoud et al, 2018). Much of the debate on these issues is based on the experiences of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (Ingram et al, 2017; Ruf and Varlet, 2017). In both countries the tremendous expansion of cocoa farming in recent decades has severely damaged natural forest. Cocoa development poses a greater risk for deforestation and forest degradation. This is the case for several countries in the Congo Basin with extensive forest cover and where policies aim to boost cocoa production. The rate of deforestation is increasing (Vancutsem et al, 2021), of which 53% occurs in primary and mature secondary forests and is mainly due to the expansion of food and cocoa crop production (Tyukavina et al, 2018)

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Discussion

Conclusion