Cocoa farmers cut down trees for short-term gain, but keeping them is important – here’s why

The price of most chocolate bars has gone up worldwide in the past year, after cocoa bean prices rose dramatically in 2024.

As cocoa prices shot up, many farmers in tropical cocoa-producing countries including Nigeria saw profits rise.

With new cocoa farms opening up on the edges of the forested areas, trees are often cut down to plant more shrubs. However, this could increase deforestation in the biodiverse tropical rainforest regions where most cocoa is farmed.

But research shows that cutting down trees may actually result in fewer beans being produced in the long term because trees can protect the crop from pests and provide much needed shade.

Our research in the state of Ekiti, south-west Nigeria, has explored how, when and why trees are retained on cocoa farms, and what their potential is both for the farmer, and for the environment.

As the world’s fourth-largest cocoa producer, Nigeria plays a significant role in global supply.

Although Nigeria has seen more plantation-style farms with cocoa shrubs and without trees, its cocoa sector has, to some extent, bucked the deforestation trend seen in other cocoa-producing countries. This is partly because for many years the country’s economic policy focused on the oil sector, while not much was invested in cocoa “modernisation” policies that have caused so much damage and deforestation in other cocoa-producing countries, such as Ghana.

In Ekiti state in south-west Nigeria, an estimated 57% of cocoa is still grown on small farms with significant tree cover. However, Ekiti has lost significant forest cover over the past two decades, with one-third of deforestation driven by agriculture. As part of our research we wanted to understand why some farmers choose to retain trees and how existing production systems might be supported, despite producers around the world trying to meet new levels of demand.

How cocoa, timber, and fruit/spice trees contribute to farm revenue

We visited 15 farms and found high levels of biodiversity. We recorded 42 different tree species, many recently planted by farmers. The trees creating the greatest shade across farms were all indigenous rainforest species, including increasingly rare tropical hardwoods such as Iroko (Milicia excelsa), Oganwo (Khaya senegalensis), Eku (Brachystegia eurycoma), and Obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon). Some of these species are so rare in Nigeria that cocoa farms are now being used as a source for seed collection. There were also up to 26 bird species recorded on a single site.

Tree cover also plays an economic role in production. Many of the 15 farmers we surveyed valued shade trees for keeping plants cool. Cocoa doesn’t produce well if it gets too hot, and as climate change is now threatening the future suitability of many growing regions, regulating temperature is going to be increasingly important. And the trees are a harvestable resource in themselves: 11 of the 15 farmers valued trees as direct financial security, because harvesting tree fruits and spices contributed between 2% and 43% of their annual income, while timber accounted for anywhere from zero to 57%.

Income from trees made up at least 20% of total household income for a majority of farmers, and in some cases up to nearly 60% of total income. So trees are used as a safety net whenever cash is tight from cocoa income.

Growing trees is not without its challenges for these farmers. However, indigenous rainforest trees tend to host fewer pests such as mirids. And they also tend to form higher canopies than cultivated fruit trees, meaning less fungal diseases too.

Despite the range of challenges, the majority of farmers in Ekiti retain non-cocoa trees because of their value. These decisions reflect a balancing act – the advantages of shade and pest control, income from fruit and timber and climate regulation – can offset any short-term loss of cocoa production.

Efforts to limit deforestation and support sustainable cocoa farming need to acknowledge the trade-offs farmers experience. This is particularly important as Nigeria’s forests are highly biodiverse and the nation is highly vulnerable to climate change.

Sustainability certification, such as the one run by the Rainforest Alliance, could be extended to more specifically highlight cocoa beans from farmers who produce fruit using sustainable methods which protect the climate including retaining trees on their farms. This could help safeguard biodiverse rainforests and help cocoa farmers make a living.

Given the global demand for cocoa, this is crucial for a sustainable future.

Olly Owen has received funding from Oxford University John Fell Fund, and provides pro bono technical advice to Ekiti State Forestry Commission.

Zoe Brown receives funding from the Tropical Agriculture Asssociation Fund.