Hand pollination, not pesticides or fertilizers, increases cocoa yields and farmer income

Toledo-Hernández, Manuel; Tscharntke, Teja; Tjoa, Aiyen; Anshary, Alam; Cyio, Basir; Wanger, Thomas Cherico

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2020.107160

Cited by 35 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…However, higher labour requirements can improve agronomic outcomes without technical interventions in some farming systems. Hand pollination, and not pesticides or inorganic fertilizers, was found to increase cocoa yields by up to 161% and farmer income by 69% in Indonesia, indicating providing habitat for pollinators can be more effective at increasing yields than applying agrochemicals (Toledo-Hernández et al 2020). In LMICs, new demand for labour under agroecology opens up rural employment opportunities.…”

Section: Strategy 3: Co-develop Socio-technical Solutions Adapted To ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research strategies to catalyze agroecological transitions in low- and middle-income countries

Jones

Bergamini

Beggi³

et al. 2022

Sustain Sci

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Governments are updating national strategies to meet global goals on biodiversity, climate change and food systems proposed in the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework and agreed at the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (COP26) and Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). This represents a unique and crucial opportunity to integrate and accelerate food system actions to tackle interconnected global challenges. In this context, agroecology is a game-changing approach that can provide the world’s growing population with nutritious, healthy affordable food, ensure fair incomes to farmers and halt and reverse the degradation of the natural environment. Here, we explore agroecological transition pathways in four case studies from low- and middle- income countries and identify catalysts for change. We find that enabling policy and market environments, participatory action research and local socio-technical support each plays a critical role in stimulating transitions towards agroecology. We propose strategies and priorities for research to better support agroecological transitions using these catalysts of change as entry points. Engagement of governments, private sector, civil society, farmers and farm workers in this research agenda is essential.

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Section: Strategy 3: Co-develop Socio-technical Solutions Adapted To ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research strategies to catalyze agroecological transitions in low- and middle-income countries

Jones

Bergamini

Beggi³

et al. 2022

Sustain Sci

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“…were not isolated from flower visitors before or after hand pollination (Groeneveld et al, 2010;Toledo-Hernández et al, 2020).…”

Section: Hand Pollinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cacao flower visitation: Low pollen deposition, low fruit set and dominance of herbivores

Vansynghel

Ocampo‐Ariza

Maas

et al. 2022

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Pollination services of cacao are crucial for global chocolate production, yet remain critically understudied, particularly in regions of origin of the species. Notably, uncertainties remain concerning the identity of cacao pollinators, the influence of landscape (forest distance) and management (shade cover) on flower visitation and the role of pollen deposition in limiting fruit set. Here, we aimed to improve understanding of cacao pollination by studying limiting factors of fruit set in Peru, part of the centre of origin of cacao. Flower visitors were sampled with sticky insect glue in 20 cacao agroforests in two biogeographically distinct regions of Peru, across gradients of shade cover and forest distance. Further, we assessed pollen quantities and compared fruit set between naturally and manually pollinated flowers. The most abundant flower visitors were aphids, ants and thrips in the north and thrips, midges and parasitoid wasps in the south of Peru. We present some evidence of increasing visitation rates from medium to high shade (40%–95% canopy closure) in the dry north, and opposite patterns in the semi‐humid south, during the wet season. Natural pollination resulted in remarkably low fruit set rates (2%), and very low pollen deposition. After hand pollination, fruit set more than tripled (7%), but was still low. The diversity and high relative abundances of herbivore flower visitors limit our ability to draw conclusions on the functional role of different flower visitors. The remarkably low fruit set of naturally and even hand pollinated flowers indicates that other unaddressed factors limit cacao fruit production. Such factors could be, amongst others, a lack of effective pollinators, genetic incompatibility or resource limitation. Revealing efficient pollinator species and other causes of low fruit set rates is therefore key to establish location‐specific management strategies and develop high yielding native cacao agroforestry systems in regions of origin of cacao.

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“…They found that natural pollination had the least number of flowers pollinated as well as the lowest fruit weight. Toledo-Hernández et al (2020) found that a partial hand pollination of just 13% of easily accessible flowers or trees without fertilizers or insecticides resulted in 51% increase in yield of cocoa. A 100% hand pollination of the entire tree increased the yield by 161% as well as led to an increase of net income from $994/ha to $1,677/ha.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Artificial pollination has been found to be the best option that can help solve the problems associated with natural pollination (Vera-Chang et al, 2016;Forbes et al, 2019;Toledo-Hernández et al, 2020). Artificial pollination happens when there is a human intervention in the pollination process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception and adoption of artificial pollination technology in cocoa production: Evidence from Ghana

Wongnaa

Kyei

Apike

et al. 2021

African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Developm

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This study examined the perception and adoption of artificial pollination among cocoa farmers in Ghana. It used cross-sectional data collected from 206 cocoa farmers selected through multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics as well as Tobit and Cragg double hurdle regression models were the methods of analysis. With an adoption rate of 49%, the study revealed that cocoa farmers have a positive perception towards adoption of artificial pollination technology. The results also showed that age of farmer, extension visits, yield and household size have significant positive effects on the probability of adoption of artificial pollination among cocoa farmers, whereas farm size has a significant negative effect on adoption. Leveraging on the positive perception generated, we encourage extension agents to sensitize farmers on the importance of artificial pollination through continuous awareness creation and promotion of the benefits of adopting the technology. Furthermore, given cocoa farmers' positive perception on artificial pollination, Ghana's cocoa production and marketing regulatory body (COCOBOD) should take steps in implementing the technology. Implementers of this technology should also target younger farmers since age has a negative influence on adoption of artificial pollination. Finally, this paper contributes to literature by focusing on the perception and the factors that influence adoption of artificial pollination in cocoa production which currently has not been researched and documented in the cocoa production literature.

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Hand pollination, not pesticides or fertilizers, increases cocoa yields and farmer income

Cited by 35 publications

References 32 publications

Research strategies to catalyze agroecological transitions in low- and middle-income countries

Research strategies to catalyze agroecological transitions in low- and middle-income countries

Cacao flower visitation: Low pollen deposition, low fruit set and dominance of herbivores

Perception and adoption of artificial pollination technology in cocoa production: Evidence from Ghana

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