Low-emissions and profitable cocoa through moderate-shade agroforestry: Insights from Ghana

Cocoa production is a leading driver of deforestation in the humid-tropics of West Africa. Reconciling climate change mitigation with livelihoods of farmers requires identification of production strategies to concurrently improve yield and profit while curtailing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Using a 2021 plot-survey conducted in Ghana's Eastern region, we evaluated yields, GHG emissions, and value of production (VOP) (a profit indicator) across a typology representing the diversity of systems at plot-level. The typology was constructed by first stratifying plots according to shade levels and variety (hybrid vs. Amazonia) which resulted in three systems: Hybrid sun, hybrid variety under full-sun (little to no shade); Hybrid shade, hybrid and moderate shade (13–25 shade trees ha⁻¹); and Amazonia, Amazonia under predominantly moderate shade. Next, factor analysis and clustering were used to group plots within each system according to cocoa yield, vegetation, management, and (local) climate conditions. Cluster analysis showed that fertiliser, weeding, pruning, hand pollination, cocoa tree density, and shade tree densities of differing heights were most influential for determination across systems. Hybrid shade had the highest net GHG removal rate at −6.8 ± 1.7 (± 95% CI) Mg CO₂eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹: 48% and 127% higher (emissions more negative) respectively over Amazonia and Hybrid sun. Hybrid shade additionally had the highest average and least variable VOP among production systems at 669 ± 564 USD ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, compared to Hybrid sun and Amazonia at 404 ± 442 and 213 ± 280 USD ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ respectively. These results point to hybrid cocoa grown under moderate shade of 13–25 shade trees ha⁻¹ as optimal for reconciling climate change mitigation with development in West African cocoa.