Farmer management of cocoa agroforests in Cameroon: Impacts of decision scenarios on structure and biodiversity of indigenous tree species

Mbile, P.; Ngaunkam, P.; Besingi, M.; Nfoumou, C.; Degrande, Ann; Tsobeng, Alain; Sado, T.; Menimo, T.

doi:10.1080/14888386.2009.9712857

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Baka pygmies who form up to 29% of collectors are traditional forest migrants moving from place to place (although they are now getting settled in villages) and living solely on gathering of forest products and hunting, with no culture of planting trees or even crops.The small proportion of collectors who indicated that they had more than ten trees on their farms are possibly those who own cocoa plantations with large surface areas and preserve/plant this species not only for its fruits but also for shade provision. Irvingia gabonensis is one of the NTFPs species found in most cocoa agroforests in Cameroon (Mbile et al, 2009). Table I.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Place of Irvingia Gabonensis in Village Communities Around the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon

Caspa¹,

Tchouamo²,

Mweru³

et al. 2015

Bois for. trop.

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Le manguier sauvage, Irvingia gabonensis, est une des essences les plus exploitées pour des produits forestiers non ligneux aux alentours du Parc national de Lobeke au Cameroun. Une enquête auprès des cueilleurs montre que les fruits sont ramassés en forêt à même le sol, ce qui entraîne des risques élevés d'attaque par des gorilles (100 %) et nécessite de longs séjours en campement (87 %). Tous les cueilleurs conservent cette essence, la plupart (82 %) en protégeant les semis spontanés, mais ne s'intéressent pas à la plantation. Cependant, près de 68% des cueilleurs indiquent qu'ils l'envisageraient. L'amande de Irvingia gabonensis est considérée par les cueilleurs comme la deuxième ressource alimentaire (98 %) et la première source de revenus (93 %) parmi les quatre principaux produits forestiers non ligneux de la région. Un inventaire a été réalisé pour évaluer l'abondance de l'essence dans trois systèmes forestiers : la zone protégée, une forêt de production villageoise (forêt naturelle comprise dans le domaine forestier non-permanent et gérée par une communauté villageoise avec l'appui du service forestier) et une zone agroforestière (jachères et associations de cultures/cacao), dans 6 x 3 parcelles de 1 ha. La production fruitière a été estimée en comptant les fruits pendant les collectes. La croissance et la survie des plantules n'ont été estimées que dans la zone proté-gée en raison de la rareté des jeunes plants dans la forêt de production et la zone agroforestière. La densité moyenne des I. gabonensis s'établit à 3,3 arbres/ha, sans écart significatif entre les trois systèmes forestiers. Le diamètre moyen à hauteur de poitrine ne varie pas significativement entre les trois systèmes, ni la production fruitière moyenne. Le taux de survie des semis baisse à 70 % dans la zone protégée au bout de 18 mois. La présence majoritaire d'arbres de diamètre moyen à élevé indique que la ressource se maintiendra pendant quelque temps, mais la quasi absence de jeunes individus permettant de régénérer ces peuplements vieillissants compromet la ressource à plus long terme. L'intensité de la cueillette conduit à recommander l'intégration de cette essence dans les exploitations agricoles villageoises. Mots-clés :Irvingia gabonensis, ressource vivrière, productivité, Parc national de Lobeke, Cameroun. ABSTRACT THE PLACE OF IRVINGIA GABONENSIS IN VILLAGE COMMUNITIES AROUND THE LOBEKE NATIONAL PARK IN CAMEROONThe bush mango, Irvingia gabonensis, is one of the most heavily used non-timber tree species around the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon. A survey among fruit gatherers showed that the fruits are collected from the forest floor, which involves very high risks of gorilla attack (100%) and long camping periods (87%). All the gatherers preserve this species, mostly (82%) by protecting wild seedlings, but they are generally reluctant to plant it. However, up to 68% of gatherers indicated that they would be willing to plant the species. The I. gabonensis kernel was ranked by gatherers (98%) as the second main source of food a...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Place of Irvingia Gabonensis in Village Communities Around the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon

Caspa¹,

Tchouamo²,

Mweru³

et al. 2015

Bois for. trop.

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“…220 000 tonnes of cocoa per annum and is ranked fifth amongst the major world cocoa producers (http://www.worldcocoa.org). In Cameroon, cacao is generally cultivated by smallholder farmers in complex and diversified agroforestry systems, commonly intermingling cacao with fruit trees and other agricultural crops in thinned primary forests (Mbile et al ., ). These production systems add ecological and economic value (Rice & Greenberg, ; Mbile et al ., ), but they also provide suitable conditions for outbreaks of various pests and diseases (Schroth et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Diversity and pathogenicity of the Ceratocystidaceae associated with cacao agroforests in Cameroon

et al. 2015

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Knowledge of the diversity and ecology of plant pathogenic fungi in cacao agroforests and surrounding natural ecosystems can inform the development of sustainable management strategies for new cacao disease outbreaks. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of fungi related to the Ceratocystisdaceae and their nitidulid beetle vectors in cacao agroforests in Cameroon, under diverse agroecological conditions. The fungi and their vectors were collected 1 from artificially induced stem wounds on cacao and associated shade trees. Collections were also made from abandoned cacao pod husks and other tree wounds within and around plantations.Fungal isolates were identified using DNA sequence-based phylogenies and morphological comparisons, and two representatives of each species were evaluated for pathogenicity on cacao.Five species of Ceratocystidaceae were recovered, including Huntiella chlamydoformis sp. nov., H. pycnanthi sp. nov. and H. moniliformis, as well as Thielaviopsis cerberus and Th. ethacetica.The incidence of these fungi appeared to be influenced by the prevailing agroecological conditions. Nitidulid beetles in the genus Brachypeplus were found to be their most common insect associates on cacao. Both Th. ethacetica and H. pycnanthi produced extensive lesions after inoculation on branches of mature cacao trees, while Th. ethacetica also caused pod rot. Although their impact remains unknown, fungi in the Ceratocystidaceae and their nitidulid beetle vectors are common and likely contribute to the parasitic pressure in Cameroonian cacao agrosystems.

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“…Unfortunately, cocoa landscapes are often associated with a range of ecological changes including deforestation, biodiversity loss, destruction of soil flora and fauna from pesticide usage, and accelerated soil degradation (Critchley and Bruijnzeel, 1996;Salami, 1998Salami, , 2001Rice and Greenberg, 2000;Asare, 2005;Ntiamoah and Afrane, 2008;Mbile et al, 2009;Adeoye and Ayeni, 2011;Jagoret et al, 2012;Akinyemi, 2013;Schoneveld, 2014;Sonwa et al, 2014;Tondoh et al, 2015). Until present, soil degradation assessments on a plot scale in regions undergoing farmland conversion to cocoa agroecosystems have been limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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Abstract. Cocoa agroecosystems are a major land-use type in the tropical rainforest belt of West Africa, reportedly associated with several ecological changes, including soil degradation. This study aims to develop a composite soil degradation assessment index (CSDI) for determining the degradation level of cocoa soils under smallholder agroecosystems of southwestern Nigeria. Plots where natural forests have been converted to cocoa agroecosystems of ages 1-10, 11-40, and 41-80 years, respectively representing young cocoa plantations (YCPs), mature cocoa plantations (MCPs), and senescent cocoa plantations (SCPs), were identified to represent the biological cycle of the cocoa tree. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm in each plot and analysed in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Factor analysis of soil data revealed four major interacting soil degradation processes: decline in soil nutrients, loss of soil organic matter, increase in soil acidity, and the breakdown of soil textural characteristics over time. These processes were represented by eight soil properties (extractable zinc, silt, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available phosphorus, total porosity, pH, and clay content). These soil properties were subjected to forward stepwise discriminant analysis (STEPDA), and the result showed that four soil properties (extractable zinc, cation exchange capacity, SOM, and clay content) are the most useful in separating the studied soils into YCP, MCP, and SCP. In this way, we have sufficiently eliminated redundancy in the final selection of soil degradation indicators. Based on these four soil parameters, a CSDI was developed and used to classify selected cocoa soils into three different classes of degradation. The results revealed that 65 % of the selected cocoa farms are moderately degraded, while 18 % have a high degradation status. The numerical value of the CSDI as an objective index of soil degradation under cocoa agroecosystems was statistically validated. The results of this study reveal that soil management should promote activities that help to increase organic matter and reduce Zn deficiency over the cocoa growth cycle. Finally, the newly developed CSDI can provide an early warning of soil degradation processes and help farmers and extension officers to implement rehabilitation practices on degraded cocoa soils.

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Farmer management of cocoa agroforests in Cameroon: Impacts of decision scenarios on structure and biodiversity of indigenous tree species

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

The Place of Irvingia Gabonensis in Village Communities Around the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon

The Place of Irvingia Gabonensis in Village Communities Around the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon

Diversity and pathogenicity of the Ceratocystidaceae associated with cacao agroforests in Cameroon

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

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