Editing Cocoa bean (section)

=== Environmental impact ===

{{main|Environmental impact of cocoa production}}

The relative poverty of many cocoa farmers means that environmental consequences such as deforestation are given little significance. For decades, cocoa farmers have encroached on virgin forest, mostly after the felling of trees by logging companies. This trend has decreased as many governments and communities are beginning to protect their remaining forested zones.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Back to the future: Brazilian federal bill re-discovers sustainable cabruca cocoa bean production |work=confectionerynews.com |url=https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2014/07/30/Brazil-protects-sustainable-cabruca-cocoa-bean-production |access-date=12 February 2018}}</ref> However, deforestation due to cocoa production is still a major concern in parts of West Africa. In Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, barriers to land ownership have led migrant workers and farmers without financial resources to buy land to illegally expand their cocoa farming in protected forests. Many cocoa farmers in this region continue to prioritize expansion of their cocoa production, which often leads to deforestation.<ref name="Schulte-Supporting">Schulte, I.; Landholm, D.M.; Bakhtary, H.; Cabezas, S.C.; Siantidis, S.; Manirajaj, S.M.; and Streck, C. (2020). ''Supporting [[smallholding|smallholder]] farmers for a sustainable cocoa sector: Exploring the motivations and role of farmers in the effective implementation of [[supply chain sustainability]] in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire'' (pp. 1–59, Rep.). Washington, DC: Meridian Institute.</ref>

Sustainable agricultural practices such as utilizing [[cover crop]]s to prepare the soil before planting and [[intercropping]] cocoa seedlings with [[Companion planting|companion plants]] can support cocoa production and benefit the farm ecosystem. Prior to planting cocoa, [[legume|leguminous cover crops]] can improve the soil nutrients and structure, which are important in areas where cocoa is produced due to high heat and rainfall which can diminish [[soil quality]]. [[cooking banana|Plantain]]s are often intercropped with cocoa to provide shade to young seedlings and improve drought resilience of the soil. If the soil lacks essential nutrients, [[compost]] or animal manure can improve soil fertility and help with water retention.<ref name="Dohmen">Dohmen, M. M., Noponen, M., Enomoto, R., Mensah, C., & Muilerman, S. (2018). ''Climate-Smart Agriculture in Cocoa A Training Manual for Field Officers'' (pp. 1–111, Rep.). Washington, DC: World Cocoa Foundation</ref>

The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by cocoa farmers is limited. When cocoa bean prices are high, farmers may invest in their crops, leading to higher yields which, in turn tends to result in lower market prices and a renewed period of lower investment.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

While governments and [[NGO]]s have made efforts to help cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire sustainably improve crop yields, many of the educational and financial resources provided are more readily available to male farmers versus female farmers. Access to credit is important for cocoa farmers, as it allows them to implement sustainable practices, such as agroforestry, and provide a financial buffer in case disasters like pest or weather patterns decrease crop yield.<ref name="Schulte-Supporting" />

Cocoa production is likely to be affected in various ways by the expected [[effects of global warming]]. Specific concerns have been raised concerning its future as a [[cash crop]] in West Africa, the current centre of global cocoa production. If temperatures continue to rise, West Africa could simply become unfit to grow the beans.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Stecker|first1=Tiffany|author2=ClimateWire|date=3 October 2011|title=Climate Change Could Melt Chocolate Production|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climate-change-could-melt-chocolate-production|magazine=[[Scientific American]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=30 September 2011|title=Climate change: Will chocolate become a costly luxury?|work=[[The Week]]|url=http://theweek.com/article/index/219875/climate-change-will-chocolate-become-a-costly-luxury}}</ref> The [[International Center for Tropical Agriculture]] warned in a paper published in 2013 that Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, the world's two top cocoa growers, will experience a decline in suitable areas for cocoa production as global temperatures rise by up to 2&nbsp;°C by 2050.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Läderach |first1=P. |last2=Martinez-Valle |first2=A. |last3=Schroth |first3=G. |last4=Castro |first4=N. |date=August 2013 |title=Predicting the future climatic suitability for cocoa farming of the world's leading producer countries, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-013-0774-8 |journal=Climatic Change |volume=119 |issue=3–4 |pages=841–854 |doi=10.1007/s10584-013-0774-8 |bibcode=2013ClCh..119..841L |issn=0165-0009|hdl=10.1007/s10584-013-0774-8 |s2cid=154596223 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

[[Climate change]], coupled with pests, poor [[soil health]], and the demand for sustainable cocoa, has led to a rapid decline in cocoa productivity, resulting in reduced income for smallholder cocoa farmers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heckel |first=Jodi |date=13 January 2022 |title=Climate adaptation increases vulnerability of cocoa farmers, study shows |url=https://phys.org/news/2022-01-climate-vulnerability-cocoa-farmers.html |access-date= |website=phys.org}}</ref> Severe droughts have led to [[soil fertility]] decline, causing a decrease in yields, and resulting in some farmers abandoning cocoa production.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nieburg |first=Oliver |date=21 December 2015 |title='Devastating' impact of climate change on cocoa can't be ignored, says Rainforest Alliance |url=https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2015/12/21/Climate-change-Impact-on-cocoa-production-devastating |access-date= |website=confectionerynews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Juniper |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Juniper |date=25 January 2020 |title=How climate change has altered cocoa farming in Ivory Coast |url=https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-climate-change-has-altered-cocoa-farming-ivory-coast |access-date= |website=www.greenbiz.com}}</ref>

Cocoa beans also have a potential to be used as a bedding material in farms for cows. Using cocoa bean husks in bedding material for cows may contribute to [[udder]] health (less bacterial growth) and [[ammonia]] levels (lower ammonia levels on bedding).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yajima|first1=Akira |last2=Ohwada|first2=Hisashi |last3=Kobayashi|first3=Suguru |last4=Komatsu|first4=Natsumi |last5=Takehara|first5=Kazuaki |last6=Ito|first6=Maria |last7=Matsuda|first7=Kazuhide |last8=Sato|first8=Kan |last9=Itabashi|first9=Hisao |year=2017|title=Cacao bean husk: an applicable bedding material in dairy free-stall barns|journal=Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences |volume=30 |issue=7 |pages=1048–1053 |doi=10.5713/ajas.16.0877 |issn=1011-2367 |pmc=5495665|pmid=28002931}}</ref>