Deforestation and the Cocoa Industry in
Ivory Coast
On Ivory Coast, rain forests are continually being
deforested to make way for profitable cocoa plantations. Currently, over 80% of
the rain forest coverage has been cleared and it is predicted that by 2030 no
more rain forest cover will remain. Trees are removed one by one to provide
fertile soil for cocoa planting, increasing the deforested land daily.
Governmental agencies responsible for the protection of these rain forests have
not been actively monitoring the area, therefore trees continue to be cut down.
Although cutting down trees provides more sunlight for cocoa growth, it also
limits shade protection from excess sun that can scorch and destroy the plants.
Even with the benefits that the rain forest coverage can provide, the people of Ivory Coast continue to illegally deforest land in order to make a living. The
cocoa industry remains one of the country’s leading sources of economic growth.
Farmers here are concerned with the immediate benefits
that deforestation and cocoa planting can provide, rather than looking at the
long term consequences. Although the companies that buy from cocoa traders who
illegally sourced cocoa from these unsustainable farms have set goals to not
source from deforested plantations, this does not reverse the natural resource
loss that has already occurred. Without these trees, soil quality,
biodiversity, and livelihood opportunities decrease for the locals. Shade grown
cocoa is a viable option that allows rainforest cover to be maintained while
still producing cocoa, however, the rainforest has already been greatly
devastated and no chocolate companies have made efforts to move toward sourcing
shade grown cocoa. Without supply chain transformation, the benefits of the
rainforest environment in Ivory Coast will be lost. However, in my opinion,
it is difficult to fault the people of Ivory Coast for continuing their
deforestation when they are reliant on this practice for their own livelihood.
I agree that local cocoa plantation workers bare little fault when it comes to the deforestation of rainforest in the Ivory Coast for more cocoa trees. However, it is these very workers who are likely to be hurt the worst from environmental degradation and layoffs when crop yields eventually fall due to climate change. Clearly there needs to be some sort of institutional intervention if the companies won't take action until there's nothing that can be done. On the flip side, perhaps retraining cocoa workers for another profession (maybe introduce an ecotourism program) could help shift Ivory Coast's economy away from relying solely upon cocoa exports.
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