Une agriculture forestiere sans foret. changements agro-écologiques et innovations paysannes en cote d'ivoire

Abstract

In the Ivory Coast, development of cocoa (and coffee) smallholdings has long relied on the cutting down of primary forest and settling on the agricultural frontier. This pioneer phase is now ending with the depletion of the last forest reserves. Social reproduction now occurs in an environment in which the considerable decrease of agricultural potential implies a dramatic drop of the smallholders' labour productivity. One of the major determinants of stability lies in the ability of farmers to maintain the fertility of short term fallows, in particular by appropriate weed management, and to establish sustainable cropping systems that do not depend on the primary forest. This implies an intensification process with no increase of labour remuneration, a process which only few social groups are able to undertake. This process needs to be supported by an agricultural policy which encourages intensification and checks the recessiondecapitalization mechanisms that entail heavy risks for the environment.