Balancing fine cocoa production and ecosystem services in agroforestry systems

Abstract
This study addresses the provision of ecosystem services by smallholder fine flavor cocoa agroforestry
systems from Ecuador. Understanding the factors that influence the provision of ecosystem services,
and the interactions between ecosystem services in cocoa agroforestry systems can serve to design
multifunctional agroecosystems that support high levels of food production while also contributing to
social and environmental goals. The following ecosystem services were measured: cocoa productivity

Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Ghana: understanding cocoa farmers’ decisions and practices

Abstract
Cocoa is an important crop for the livelihoods of many Ghanaian smallholder farmers. The yields per
hectare remain very low, with soil nutrient deficiency as one of the major causes. Integrated Soil
Fertility Management (ISFM) has the potential to increase cocoa productivity, however, low adoption
rates of ISFM practices indicate a room for improvement in matching available technology with the
needs of farmers. Therefore, forty cocoa farmers were interviewed to understand their motivations to