Cocoa land health surveillance: an evidence-based approach to sustainable management of cocoa landscapes in the Nawa region, South-West Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

Land health surveillance is the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of l and degradation data, and the formulation of recommendations based on these data to promote, protect and restore land and ecosystem health. We applied the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) to characterize five sentinel sites (each 10 km × 10 k m) in the Nawa reg ion in Southwest Côte d’Ivoire in order to identify key constraints and/or potentials an d formulate recommendations for sustainable production. The cocoa land health surveillance is based on key land health indicators including vegetation health, pests and diseases and soil health. Agriculture was a key driver affecting land uses change and land degradation in the region with cocoa being the most dominant tree in the landscapes. Shrubs density was very low at the five sentinel sites compar ed to tree density , suggesting that most farms were matured. T he Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV) was prevailing in the region, but the intensity of the disease is very variable in the landscapes. This calls for adjusting the rehabilitation strategies to t he virus prevalence status to control the risk of disease spreading. We found no serious soil inherent soil degradation risk in large part of the study area except for the Petit - Bouake sentinel site where the frequency of root depth restriction in 6 of the 16 clusters was above 50%. Soil infiltration capacity was lower at Petit - Bondoukou and Kragui, suggesting there is soil erosion risk at these sites. Soil pH was significantly higher at Petit - Bouake than Koda, but no difference was found between cultivated and semi - natural lands in both sites. Soil erosion management was recommended as part of the good agricultura l practices at these two sites