In the early 2000s, after the stagnation or even decline of cocoa production in the last cocoa loop in the southwest of Ivory Coast [ 15 ], there was a shift of the production area towards the extreme West where a new cocoa loop seems to be emerging [ 16, 17] in this region still relatively unsuitable for cocoa cultivation [ 18, 19 ].
How did the cocoa economy develop in Ivory Coast?
After the introduction of cocoa in 1955 [ 28] in the South-East of Ivory Coast, the cocoa economy has continued to develop through the establishment of cocoa farms in an extensive mode through shifting cultivation on forest clearings [ 12 ].
Where is the cocoa industry located in Ivory Coast?
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. The cocoa economy of Ivory Coast started in the eastern part of the country in the 1970s and spread to the central-western and then south-western regions.
Is the west Ivorian region the new epicentre of cocoa in Ivory Coast?
In view of the rapid disappearance of the forest cover and the socio-demographic and agronomic characteristics of the plantations, the West Ivorian region is in the process of becoming the new epicentre of cocoa in Ivory Coast.