Cocoa Growers Research Articles

Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme adoption: Determinants and financial implications for cocoa production in the Centre region of Cameroon

This study evaluates the level of adoption of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme in the Centre region of Cameroon, ascertains the drivers of adoption, and evaluates the financial implications of the levels of adoption. Using cross-sectional data obtained from 100 cocoa growers in the Central region of Cameroon and employing a Generalised Ordered Logit estimation technique alongside a one-way ANOVA test and Tukey’s test for post-hoc estimations, we show that 50%, 17%, and 33% of cocoa growers are complete adopters, partial adopters, and non-adopters of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme, respectively. The findings also reveal that the likelihood of having partial or complete adoption is higher among farmers who have introduced orange trees in their orchards, own more extensive orchards, and have more years of experience in cocoa farming. Furthermore, the likelihood of having complete adoption is higher for farmers with a lower planting density in their orchards and a tertiary level of schooling. Farmer’s age has a mitigated effect on the likelihood of adopting certification schemes by reducing the likelihood of having partial or complete adoption against non-adoption and at the same time raising the likelihood of complete adoption against no or partial adoption. The study also concludes that the financial performance of cocoa growers varies based on their level of adoption of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ certification scheme. Farmers who have achieved certification status tend to have higher farm earnings. Based on these findings, non-adopters and partial adopters are encouraged to fully adhere to the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ certification standards. By doing so, they can increase their financial gains, enhance their livelihoods, and reduce the negative environmental impacts of cocoa farming.

THE EFFECT OF FARMER BUSINESS SCHOOL ON HOUSEHOLD WELFARE: EVIDENCE FROM COCOA FARMERS IN ATWIMA NWABIAGYA NORTH DISTRICT, GHANA

Farmer Business School (FBS) is an educational programme aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of farmers in various aspects of agriculture, including financial management and marketing. The purpose of the paper is to examine the effect of FBS on household welfare among cocoa producers in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of Ghana. Data was collected from a sample of 330 cocoa farmers, 200 of which participated in the FBS programme and 103 who did not. The study employed a range of statistical techniques to investigate the effect of FBS on cocoa growers, thus, independent samples t-test, binary probit model, Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance and perception index. The results of the study suggest that involvement in the FBS programme has a positive significant influence on household welfare. Cocoa farmers who participated in the programme experienced a significant increase in income and yield, as well as improved overall well-being against those who didn't take part. The research's findings offer evidence that FBS programmes can play a vital role in enhancing the welfare of farmers, particularly in developing nations where agricultural livelihoods play a crucial role in economic growth and poverty reduction. The study highlights the importance of investing in education and training programmes for farmers to improve their skills, knowledge, and overall well-being.

Comparing farmers’ perception of climate effect on cocoa yield with climate data in the Humid zone of Nigeria

Apart from the conventional inputs for cocoa production, climatic parameters have a significant effect on the yield of the crop globally. However, existing literature suffers a knowledge gap on the farmers' perceptions of climate effect on cocoa yield and its nexus with climate data. The chi-square test of independence, standardized anomaly index (SAI), multiple regression, z-distribution, and descriptive statistics were employed to investigate the socioeconomic and climate impacts on yield. The registered farmers (280) from the Osun State Cocoa Growers Association (OSCGA) in the Nigerian Humid Zone were the interviewees. Climate data were retrieved from the records of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Abuja, while the cocoa yield data were provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Osogbo from 1999 to 2019. The results revealed that climate affected cocoa yield and the yield was significant at p ≤ 0.05 in 1999 and 2000. Most farmers perceived that low temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, sunshine, and wind speed influenced cocoa yield positively. Farmers’ perception was influenced by age, marital status, household size, and educational level at p ≤ 0.01. Understanding the climate and its consequences on cocoa yield will help develop management practices, that were hitherto lacking in Osun State, Nigeria. This study presents the socioeconomic and climate effects on cocoa yield and makes recommendations for management practices in regions with similar ecological settings.

Does weather index-based insurance adoption influence Cocoa Output? An endogenous swicth regression approach

ABSTRACT Agriculture is the most weather-dependent and risky sector where it is unpredictable when a season will be profitable during harvest. Droughts and floods may increase the risk of weather-related catastrophes in agriculture. Weather index Insurance has been widely recommended for decades to control weather risk. 600 Ashanti cocoa producers were surveyed to see how weather index insurance adoption affects cocoa output in Ghana. The endogenous switching regression (ESR) technique coupled with probit models were employed in this study. Cocoa bean production was 30.8 percent whiles only 15.8% of cocoa farmers knew about weather index insurance. The average annual farm income, off-farm, and remittances were 7.40, 7.26, and 6.61, respectively. Weather index insurance adoption and cocoa output were positively influenced by cocoa farm age, gender, education, awareness, and access to finance. We found that weather index insurance negatively influences cocoa output in Ghana due to inadequate information on insurance among farmers, lack of education, lack of awareness, and access to credit. Our findings will help Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool and the government improve accessibility, affordability, and awareness for cocoa growers in the region and beyond. The findings will add to weather index insurance literature and improve agriculture risk.

Using Econometric Models to Manage the Price Risk of Cocoa Beans: A Case from India

This study aims at developing econometric models to manage the price risk of Dry and Wet Cocoa beans with the help of ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) and VAR (Vector Auto Regressive). The monthly price of Cocoa beans is collected for the period starting from April 2009 to March 2020 from the office of CAMPCO Limited, Mangalore, and the ICE Cocoa futures price from the website of investing.com. The augmented dickey fuller test is used to test the stationarity of the series. The ACF and PACF correlograms are used to identify the tentative ARIMA model. Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Schwarz criterion (SBIC), Sigma square, and adjusted R2 are used to decide on the optional AR and MA terms for the models. Durbin–Watson statistics and correlograms of the residuals are used to decide on the model’s goodness of fit. Identified optimal models were ARIMA (1, 1, 0) for the Dry Cocoa beans price series and ARIMA (1, 1, 2) for the Wet Cocoa beans price series. The multivariate VAR (1) model found that the US and London Cocoa futures prices traded on the ICE platform will influence the price of Dry Cocoa in India. This study will be helpful to forecast the price of Cocoa beans to manage the price risk, precisely for Cocoa traders, Chocolate manufacturers, Cocoa growers, and the government for planning and decision-making purposes.

Evaluation of a native isolate of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin TMBMA1 against tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis theivora infesting cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)

The tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis spp. is a destructive pest of cocoa across the globe. In the climate change scenario, the tea mosquito bug species complex, viz. Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse, 1886, H. bradyi Waterhouse, 1886, and H. antonii V. Signoret, 1858, poses a serious threat to cocoa cultivation in India. Presently, systemic and/or broad-spectrum insecticides are used for mirid management by cocoa growers. However, concerns about their adverse effects on human health and the environment prompted us to search for alternative eco-friendly options for their management. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are an effective and eco-friendly alternative to chemical insecticides for the management of cocoa mirids. The use of native strains of biological control agents improves their success rate. Hence, the present investigation was conducted to isolate, characterize and evaluate an indigenous insect-pathogenic isolate of EPF Metarhizium anisopliae against the mirid H. theivora. An extensive survey was conducted in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India, to collect the adults of H. theivora naturally infected with entomopathogenic fungi. A pure culture of the EPF named as TMBMA1 was isolated from the infected adults. Based on the detailed morphological and molecular characterization, the isolate TMBMA1 was identified as Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin. The isolate TMBMA1 was found to be highly effective against H. theivora in an in-vitro bioassay and caused 100% insect mortality at 1 × 108 and 1 × 109 conidial suspensions 6 days post inoculation. Similarly, TMBMA1 was found effective in significantly reducing the incidence of mirids in field evaluations conducted for two consecutive years. TMBMA1 was found better than other commercial biopesticides and was comparable with the recommended chemical insecticide Lambda-cyhalothrin. In conclusion, our results reveal that the native EPF, M. anisopliae isolate TMBMA1 has great potential against the mirid H. theivora and can serve as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative for mirid management in cocoa and other plantations in India.

Study of Farmers Adopting Technological Innovation on Cocoa Farming System: The evidence in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Cocoa beans have been existed in Indonesia particularly for smallholder farmers as the cash crop of household in the rural area. Today’s its productivity is going down due to the aging cocoa three, pest and diseases. Introducing technology into the farmers group as the alternative way for income diversification based on the cocoa commodity. This study was conducted in East Kolaka District of Southeast Sulawesi Province. Purposive sampling technique was used to select four sub districts of Aere, Ladongi, Lambandia and Tinondo. In each sub district, we chose two sample villages by purposive sampling based on the number of cocoa growers per village and selected 15 farmers respectively based on the random technique due to the homogeneity of the population. In total, we selected eight villages as our sample villages with a total sample size of 120 households. Five components of technology has been introduced, viz. Introducing utilization of cocoa shell for bio-char, utilization of cow dung as organic fertilizer, making cocoa powder for instant beverage, utilization of cocoa shell as the alternative feed cow, and utilization of cow dung as Bio-Gas. This study results show that most farmers have a good and positive response by following or implementing recommended technology. The results of open interviews with farmers at the study site show that the technology introduced is technically feasible based on indicators of easiness of technology application (uncomplicated), easily access to technology, available of supporting materials and inexpensive, easily labor used, and easily in supporting facilities and infrastructure. A good response of farmers indicated that introduced technology has been implemented and adopted by farmers. Moreover, these technology have been implemented which economically feasible, technically easy, culturally done by farmers and environmental friendly.

REVOLUTION OF COCOA BEANS IN MALAYSIA: BULK TO SPECIALTY BEANS

The Malaysian cocoa industry needs a sustainable and consistent supply of cocoa beans with the quality attributes of specialty cocoa beans to meet the diverse and increasing requirements of the world prospect. It is aimed to transform and implement a specialty cocoa value chain in Malaysia, to help small-scale cocoa growers gain access to high value markets. The efforts towards developing Malaysia as fine flavour cocoa producing country involve a range of activities at all levels of the cocoa value chain. Promising varieties recognised through the Cocoa Excellence programme with unique characteristics have been identified and adapting high-yield growing techniques to increase productivity is the next challenge in order to get sufficient volume, with proper post-harvest processing and rigorous quality control and traceability. As the world demand for fine flavour cocoa has been growing, initiatives should be taken on several key research components, including identifying clones with specialty beans and suitable regions for growing cocoa, determine flavour evaluation not only sensory but DNA fingerprinting of selected materials, selecting potential specialty cocoa varieties among genetic collection and train growers especially smallholders, to follow the recommended practices. Also, a more in-depth market study will be necessary to give and guide the industry with more detailed recommendations on fine or flavour cocoa investments such as price, quality and volumes. Certification is another requirement by specialty cocoa buyers and retailers as an important proof of commitment to sustainability. The demand for certification of cocoa and chocolate is growing strongly in the European and global cocoa market. Keywords: Specialty beans, fine flavour cocoa, cocoa varieties, bean quality, post-harvest technique, sustainable cocoa industry

Classification of Cocoa Beans Based on their Level of Fermentation using Spectral Information

Cocoa beans are the most important raw material for the chocolate industry and an essential product for the economy of tropical countries such as Colombia. Their price mainly depends on their quality, which is determined by various aspects, such as good agricultural practices, their harvest point, and level of fermentation. The entities that regulate the international marketing of cocoa beans have been encouraging the development of new classification methods that, compared to current techniques, could save time, reduce waste, and increase the number of evaluated beans. In particular, hyperspectral images are a novel tool for food quality control. However, studies that have examined some quality parameters of cocoa using spectroscopy also involve the chemical evaluation of cocoa powder and liquor and the interior of the beans, which implies an invasive analysis, longer times, and waste generation. Therefore, in this paper, we assess the quality of cocoa beans based on their level of fermentation using a noninvasive system to obtain hyperspectral information, as well as fast image processing and spectral classification techniques. We obtained hyperspectral images of 90 cocoa beans in the range between 350 and 950 nm in an optical laboratory. In addition, each cocoa bean was classified according to its fermentation level: slightly fermented (SF), correctly fermented (CF), and highly fermented (HF). We compared this classification with that carried out by experts from the Colombia National Federation of Cocoa Growers and reported in the Colombian technical standard No. 1252. The results show that the level of fermentation of dried cocoa beans can be estimated using noninvasive hyperspectral image acquisition and processing techniques.

Factors influencing undernutrition among children under 5 years from cocoa-growing communities in Bougainville

Half the children under the age of 5 years in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are undernourished, more than double the global average with rural areas disproportionately affected. This study examines...

Cocoa-based agroforestry system dynamics and trends in the Akongo subregion of central Cameroon

Cocoa is a major crop and income source for most farmers and rural households in the Centre, South and South-West regions of Cameroon, where cocoa is generally produced in agroforestry systems. In this country, cocoa-based agroforestry systems (CBAFS) are undergoing multiple changes alongside the rapid changes underway in the natural, economic and socio-political conditions. This study—carried out in the Akongo subregion in central Cameroon—was designed to gain insight into the CBAFS trends and dynamics in the light of those multiple changes. This semi-structured socioeconomic survey involved interviews and direct observations at plot, farm, household and village scales. Overall, forty cocoa growers from ten villages were interviewed and then fifteen cocoa plots were characterized on the basis of the survey findings. They revealed that cocoa was the major crop in this study area, with cocoa plantations occupying three quarters of the total farming area. Three types of CBAFS were identified, which differed according to their vegetation structure, management practices and age of the plantations. Dynamics affecting the structural characteristics and the spatial extension of these systems emerged and were intimately linked to the dynamics of the cocoa farmer population in relation to their context.

The extent to which the domestic conditions of cocoa farmers in Bougainville impede livelihoods

BackgroundBougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is slowly improving services and infrastructure destroyed 20 years ago during the ten year civil war. However, the region still faces significant constraints to economic growth and human development and remains under-developed compared to PNG and close Pacific neighbours. PNG's 2017 Human Development Category (HDC) was one of the lowest at 0.544. The Bougainville Strategic Development Plan 2018–2022 noted significant gaps in health services and infrastructure, had inadequate water and waste disposal and experienced weak markets and cocoa quality. This research examines domestic conditions and the extent to which they impact on livelihoods. MethodA cross-sectional livelihood survey was administered to cocoa growing households in 33 Village Assemblies (VAs) with 11 VAs in each of the three regions. ResultsData was collected from 5172 individuals. A significant majority of households reported multiple health issues, rudimentary housing, unimproved sanitation and unimproved water. Over two-thirds of cocoa growers did not sell any cocoa bags in 2014–2016 resulting in low incomes and greater food insecurity compared to families selling cocoa. Families that produced no saleable cocoa were more likely to have rudimentary housing, unimproved toilet facilities and unsafe water, factors that increase the likelihood of chronic disease and exacerbate malnutrition and poor labour productivity. ConclusionThis study provides key information about the health and livelihood status of cocoa growers in Bougainville. If productivity is to increase, farmer health needs to improve including improving water and sanitation practices and diets. Building a responsive health system for the community is a challenge when a majority of the population live in small villages with difficult access to health centres. Establishing and integrating outreach village health clinics will enable health care to be more accessible to these remote communities.

Impact of Cash Crops (Cocoa, Rubber Tree) on the Farmers’ Life Quality in Abengourou Department (East of Côte d’Ivoire)

Like Côte d’Ivoire forest area, Abengourou department has not escaped anthropic pressure. The forest in this area was the scene of intense Cocoa farming activities. However, due to the weaknesses and constraints observed in the Cocoa sector, it has been seen that from years 1990 - 2000, most of the farmers have abandoned their Cocoa farms in favor of a gradual conversion in Rubber farming. In fact, this crop is considered to be a new booming income crop that tends to improve and guarantee the farmer’s life quality. This situation leads to an amalgam for the growing of Cocoa or Rubber. This study aims to determine the impact of Cocoa and Rubber farms on the farmer’s life quality in Abengourou (Côte d’Ivoire). Thus, field missions, documents analyze and directive surveys of farmers, cartographic and statistical processing have made it possible to establish correlations between Rubber tree or Cocoa farming and the farmer’s life quality. It follows from the correlations, that after analysis, the Rubber tree would have a positive influence on the farmer’s life quality than Cocoa. Moreover, Human Development Index (HDI) was measured respectively between the Cocoa and Rubber growers in the study area. The HDI of the Cocoa farmers is 0.455 and that of Rubber is estimated to 0.461. So, it is confirmed from these analyses that, in 2016, the growing of Rubber improves the farmer’s life quality more than that of Cocoa in the study area.

Impact of Cash Crops (Cocoa, Rubber Tree) on the Farmers’ Life Quality in Abengourou Department (East of Côte d’Ivoire)

Like Côte d’Ivoire forest area, Abengourou department has not escaped anthropic pressure. The forest in this area was the scene of intense Cocoa farming activities. However, due to the weaknesses and constraints observed in the Cocoa sector, it has been seen that from years 1990 - 2000, most of the farmers have abandoned their Cocoa farms in favor of a gradual conversion in Rubber farming. In fact, this crop is considered to be a new booming income crop that tends to improve and guarantee the farmer’s life quality. This situation leads to an amalgam for the growing of Cocoa or Rubber. This study aims to determine the impact of Cocoa and Rubber farms on the farmer’s life quality in Abengourou (Côte d’Ivoire). Thus, field missions, documents analyze and directive surveys of farmers, cartographic and statistical processing have made it possible to establish correlations between Rubber tree or Cocoa farming and the farmer’s life quality. It follows from the correlations, that after analysis, the Rubber tree would have a positive influence on the farmer’s life quality than Cocoa. Moreover, Human Development Index (HDI) was measured respectively between the Cocoa and Rubber growers in the study area. The HDI of the Cocoa farmers is 0.455 and that of Rubber is estimated to 0.461. So, it is confirmed from these analyses that, in 2016, the growing of Rubber improves the farmer’s life quality more than that of Cocoa in the study area.

From Cocoa Producers to Chocolatiers? Developing an Entrepreneurial Model for Small‐scale Producers in Honduras

Purpose ‐ The cocoa value chain exemplifies the imbalances often seen in the global trade of commodities. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the likeliness of cocoa growers to become entrepreneurs and chocolatiers and to reflex about the impact this would have in their socioeconomic context. Design/Methodology/Approach – This research studies the possibility of entrepreneurial endeavors using the concepts of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) developed by Ajzen (1991). This way, a quantitative model based on the findings from Linan and Chen (2009) was created, in which the Personal Attitude (PA), Subjective Norm (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) along with other personal and social variables ‐in this case the Readiness to be an Entrepreneur (RE)‐ affect directly the Entrepreneurial Intention (EI). Findings – Findings suggest that 75% of the farmers showed Entrepreneurial Intention and other entrepreneurial characteristics such as knowledge of the market, technology and regulatory framework. The existence of an organization of social capital in the same village, run by the wives of the farmers, also adds to the entrepreneurial intention of the village, since the main goal is to add value and produce chocolate. Originality/Value – This research provides insight of the mindset shared by Honduran cocoa growers about performing in the chocolate industry. At the same time provides a raw image of the living conditions these individuals face and how their view of the chocolate industry is affected by their need to escape poverty.

Farmer knowledge and willingness to pay for soil testing in Haiti

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting farmers’ perceptions and knowledge of soil testing benefits and fertilizers use in Northern Haiti.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 452 farmers within 17 localities in Northern Haiti. The findings reveal that farmers currently have little or no knowledge of soil testing benefits and but know better about fertilizer use. The soil testing benefits and knowledge on fertilizers use were collected using Likert scale. Analyses were done using structural equations model and choice model.FindingsFactors such as farm size, participation in project, rice, banana and cocoa growers, affect farmers’ perceptions and knowledge of soil testing benefits. Factors affecting willingness to pay include group membership, type of crops grown, whether farmer’ land is on the slope, his farm size and whether he participates in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) project. Knowledge on fertilizer use is influenced by rice and banana growers, fertilizer use, participation in soil testing program and AVANSE/USAID. The effects of both latent variables are found to be positive but non-significant.Practical implicationsAs policy implication; farmers need training module to be better informed on soil testing benefits.Originality/valueSoil testing is a novel agricultural input that is being popularized in developing countries. For sustainability of the laboratory to be installed, this study is needed to fill the gap in research on farmers’ behaviors toward and demand of soil testing in Northern Haiti.

Fitoextracción de cadmio con hierba mora (Solanum nigrum L.) en suelos cultivados con cacao (Theobroma cacao L.)

La fitoextracción con plantas como hierba mora (Solanum nigrum L.) es una alternativa importante para la rehabilitación de suelos contaminados con cadmio (Cd). Esta especie, reconocida como hiperacumuladora, tiene capacidad para tolerar y crecer en suelos con altas concentraciones de este microelemento y constituye una alternativa de interés para los cultivadores de cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Con el propósito de enfrentar la restricción para la comercialización de productos agrícolas que genera este elemento, se evaluó la respuesta de S. nigrum a las concentraciones de Cd: 0, 5 y 10 mg/kg en el suelo. Se halló una alta correlación entre los contenidos del elemento en el suelo y su acumulación en la planta, incrementando (P < 0.05) el área foliar (r2 =0.63), la biomasa de la planta (r2 = 0.63) y biomasa tanto en raíz (r2 = 0.74) como en tallo (r2 = 0.47) y hojas (r2 =0.68). Por tanto, S. nigrum L. constituye una alternativa en procesos de fitoextracción de este metal, ya que es una planta de rápido crecimiento, con bajas exigencias ambientales y alta capacidad de adaptación.

Desempeño fisiológico de nueve genotipos de cacao (<i>Theobroma cacao</i> L.) bajo la sombra de tres especies forestales en Santander, Colombia

En la actualidad, Colombia tiene 173.000 ha cultivadas con Theobroma cacao, de las cuales la mayoría están establecidas en asocio con árboles frutales o maderables, además de proveer sombra pueden generar ingresos para el cacaocultor. Para seleccionar especies que conforman el arreglo agroforestal, es necesario considerar los requerimientos ecofisiológicos de los genotipos de cacao y la interacción con su entorno agroecológico, incluido el sombrío. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el rendimiento fisiológico de nueve clones de cacao establecidos en sistema agroforestal con Cariniana pyriformis, Hevea brasiliensis en El Carmen de Chucurí y C. pyriformis, Tectona grandis en Rionegro, Santander. Se realizó seguimiento a la tasa de fotosíntesis, transpiración, conductancia estomática y uso eficiente del agua, tanto en la época húmeda, como en la seca. Los resultados mostraron que los sistemas de sombrío influyen sobre las tasas de fotosíntesis que presentan las plantas de cacao. Estos clones establecidos bajo el sistema de sombrío con C. pyriformis, presentan mayores tasas de fotosíntesis (5,39 μmoles CO2 m-2 s-1), en la época húmeda y seca. Lo anterior se atribuyó al tipo de crecimiento y sombra proveída por esta especie, que ofrece mejores condiciones ambientales para el desempeño fisiológico del cacao. Se recomienda esta especie forestal como sombrío, para el establecimiento de nuevas áreas de cacao en el departamento de Santander. Individualmente, los clones de cacao con el mejor comportamiento ecofisiológico fueron TCS19 y TCS13, por lo que se constituyen en genotipos de importancia agronómica.

Evaluation of different fermentation processes for use by small cocoa growers in mexico.

The aim of this research was to evaluate four different cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) fermentation conditions and their effect on fermented bean quality, in order to be able to recommend the most suitable condition to producers in the municipality of Huimanguillo, Tabasco, Mexico. Fermentations were carried out in square wooden boxes with capacity for 1000, 300, and 100 kg of fresh beans, as well as a rotary drum with capacity for 500 kg thereof. The fermentation process was carried out for 7 days, and the response variables measured were mass temperature, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, and acidity. The TSS were totally depleted after 2 days, during which time the yeasts transformed them into ethanol at temperatures of 25–35°C. The most notable temperature increase in the four treatments was 49°C on the third day, corresponding to a decrease in pH from 6.31 ± 0.40 to 4.76 ± 0.03 and an increase in acidity from 0.38 ± 0.04 to 1.17 ± 0.25 g kg−1, due to the formation of organic acids. There were no significant differences among the four treatments (Tukey α = 0.05). The cut test showed that fermentation in 300‐ and 100‐kg boxes and in the 500‐kg rotary drum produced the same effect on fermentation quality, but the 1000‐kg boxes exhibited lower quality (Tukey α = 0.05).

Cocoa Production and Related Social-Economic and Climate Factors: A Case Study of Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

Cocoa has been a major source of income for many Nigerians and a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the country. However its production has been experiencing a declining trend in recent times. Many factors have been implicated. One major factor is changes in climate variables. This study therefore investigates into the socio-economic effects of some climate variables on cocoa production and aims at guiding policy makers in drawing policies that will mitigate the effect of these variables. The study was carried out in Ayedire Local Government Area (LGA) of Osun State. Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire employing interview schedule. One hundred cocoa farmers registered with the state’s Cocoa Growers Association (CGA) were randomly selected from four major cocoa growing areas of the L.G.A. The data set was then analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression techniques. The study found that major climate variables affecting cocoa production were rainfall, sunshine and temperature. Other factors observed was ageing cocoa tree and the prevalence of pest infestation and disease emergence occurring as the result of climate variation thereby causing yield reduction as well as loss of income. In the short run, enactment and implementation of policies that can mitigate the adverse impact of climate variations can help to improve the yield of cocoa, thereby increasing the producers’ income and consequently boost their living standard. In the long run, conscientious efforts should be made to educate and train the minds of all towards safety and best practices for the prevention of climatic adversities.