Cocoa Production Stability in Relation to Changing Rainfall and Temperature in East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Climate change as indicated by rising temperature and changing rainfall pattern has been known to affect cacao production in many production countries. However, studies on the effects of rainfall and temperature variability on the cacao production are rarely reported in Indonesia. Hence, the objective of this study is to evaluate the stability of cocoa production in relation to rainfall and temperature variability in order to develop sustainable production under climate change scenario. Research was conducted at a state owned company in Jember District, East Java, Indonesia from February to June 2015. Production and climatic data of 2010-2015 were evaluated using simple regression and correlation analysis. Results revealed that productivity fluctuated among months and among years. However, the fluctuation among months (s2 = 117.076) was lower than among years (s2 = 311.225). Rainfall and temperature showed variability among months and among years; and the fluctuation among months was lower in both rainfall and temperature. Rainfall at one to four months before harvest correlated with production (r=0.400-0.671; P= 0.000 to 0.001) and temperature at two to four months before harvest determined cocoa production (r=0.371-0.412; P=0.001-0.003). High monthly cocoa production coincided with decreasing temperature and rainfall for 4 to 5 months during pod development. The presented study implies that both short and long term strategies should be implemented under climatic variability to sustain cocoa production. It is recommended to apply production technology to stabilize micro climate temperature and to minimize the impact of high rainfall such as shade plant and canopy manipulation.

Climate change could reduce and spatially reconfigure cocoa cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon by 2050

“…According to [ 6 ], high temperature can also cause stress indirectly due to the higher evapotranspirative demand of the air. Thus, some studies recommend the implementation of production technologies to stabilize the temperature of the microclimate and reduce the impacts of high rainfall, such as the use of shading plants and canopy manipulation [ 51 ].…”

Working towards Sustainable Innovation for Green Waste Benefits: The Role of Awareness of Consequences in the Adoption of Shaded Cocoa Agroforestry in Ghana

“…These characteristics make a shaded cocoa system more efficient and guarantee long-term sustainable cocoa yields in comparison to the unshaded system. The studied rise in outputs of the former is further explained by the fact that cocoa is highly sensitive to changes of environmental conditions and requires shade for efficient physiological functioning [49,55]. Intercropping shade trees with cocoa is a common practice among farmers; as it ameliorates the negative impact of environmental stress.…”

Faktor-faktor yang Memengaruhi Produksi dan Efektivitas Panen pada Kakao Mulia

“…Pekerja di kebun kakao umumnya merupakan karyawan harian lepas dan memiliki latar belakang yang beragam (Angela dan Efendi, 2015). Petani kakao biasanya menanam lebih dari satu klon sebagai upaya menekan risiko kegagalan produksi (Santosa et al, 2018), maka petani biasanya menyusun kriteria kemasakan buah sebagai acuan panen bagi pemanen dan pengawas di lapangan. Menurut Anna (2011) tingkat kemasakan buah untuk menghasilkan biji bermutu tinggi minimal adalah 60%, namun menurut Prawoto (2014) tanda-tanda kematangan buah kakao dipengaruhi oleh klon dan faktor lingkungan.…”