CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

The opening introduction embodies the background of the study, the statement of the research problem, the research questions, the research objectives, research hypotheses, significance of the study and the location of the study area. It shall also present the scope of the study as well as the physical and the economic characteristics of the study area in relation to cocoa production and transformation.

1.1 Background to the study

The cultivation of cash crops is a backbone to every Country’s growth. In the tropics, perennial crops such as cocoa are grown regularly in peasant plantations (Rug F 1995, in Damana et al., 2000). They played an important role in the economy of Congo basin countries and occupy less than 60% of the cultivated area (Apnea et al., 2000).

The cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao originated in South America, and its beans consumed as a drink by the Mayans and Aztecs. It was introduced to Spain by Hernan Cortés in 1528. After the addition of sugar, the drink became popular and Spain set up cocoa plantations in its West Indies colonies to meet demand.  In the late 17^th century, as cocoa drinking spread across Europe, French, English, and Dutch plantations were also established in the West Indies and South America. As with other colonial plantations in the ‘New World’, the production in these plantations used slaves from West Africa. In 1828, Conrad J. van Houten invented the cocoa press to extract cocoa powder from cocoa butter, and the first chocolate bar was created in the mid-19^th century. These developments made chocolate affordable for the mass-market and demand for cocoa increased (Richard Asare, 2005).

Although there were attempts at introducing cocoa into Africa much earlier, it was only in the late 19^th century that production began on any significant scale. The first large-scale production was in the 1880s from Portuguese plantations on the islands of São Tomé and Principe.  These plantations became notorious for using workers who were slaves despite slavery having been officially abolished in 1875.

Cocoa cultivation in the West African sub region has generally been dependent on cultivation on partly cleared forestb land utilizing the ‘forest rent’ of newly cleared areas (Ruf and Zadi, 1998). However, in recent years the prospects of this practice have diminished drastically in most areas due to dwindled forest areas. According to Niesten et al., (2004) the remaining forest cover in West Africa constitutes only one-fifth of its original extent. This partially indicates the beginning of the end of expansion of cocoa farms into forested areas. Hence, increased access and co-ordination of information on shade trees in cocoa systems will help to improve the decision-making process on cocoa farm management.

In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana this is critically important since an extensive use of the forest rent to maintain and increase cocoa production has led to a considerable reduction of the forest cover (Ruf and Zadi, 1998; Ministry of Science and Environment, 2002). In these countries cocoa contributes a greater proportion of foreign exchange earnings (Crook, 1990; ISSER, 2003). As a result, government policies in the two countries have always favoured production increase, which has mostly depended on expansion of farmlands at the expense of forested areas.

Similarly in Ghana, colonial policies that imposed taxes on males facilitated the movement of migrant labour from the north into the high forest zone to seek wage labour to meet this obligation (Konings, 1986: cf. Amanor, 1996). In addition, cocoa production spread from the eastern parts of the country to the west into new forest frontiers due to deterioration of cocoa farms in the old growing areas. Farmers neglected and abandoned farms and migrated westwards instead of re-investing in their ageing and ailing farms. The deterioration was due to diseases and pest damage, soil depletion, and loss of appropriate vegetation cover (Richard Asare, 2005).

Since the introduction of cocoa into Cameroon in 1886 (Nnama, 1995), it has become the most important cash crop in the farming system of the humid forest (Coulibaly et al., 2002). In addition, it has become the major foreign exchange earner for the economy of the country in terms of value and volume (Duguma et al., 2001). In 2003 Cameroon supplied 5% of the world’s cocoa production making it the sixth largest producing country in the world and the fourth in West Africa (ICCO, 2003).

In Cameroon, deforestation is commonly associated with food crop production as opposed to cocoa production (Duguma et al., 2001; Sunderlin et al., 2000). None the less, cocoa production involves growing cocoa trees in combination with trees in the shade of forest trees, as a result creating a degraded forest environment (Sonwa et al., 2001). According to Losch et al., (1991), three-quarters of Cameroon’s cocoa agroforests are found in the Centre, South, and East Provinces of the Country (Richard Asare, 2005).

However, in recent times cocoa productivity improvement has become one of the government’s main focus in the process to increase export revenue and reduce poverty. In 2000 the government presented a 10-year plan with an objective to increase the market share level of global cocoa market. The goal include increasing the production from 100,000 tons in 1999 to 200,000 tons by the year 2010 which maybe achieved through productivity gains in existing orchards, rehabilitation of old orchards, and opening up new-forested areas (Ministry of Agriculture, 2001). These according to Kazianga (2002) could be achieved by adopting a combined technology of low shade system that uses fertilizer application and pest control.

 In the teaching learning process, cocoa cultivation falls under the module of  economic geography + geography of Cameroon, the family of situation is production systems, examples of situations are food shortages, Insufficient supply of cash crops, the topic is agriculture as an economic activity, sub topic the agricultural systems and can be thought under the lesson types of agriculture. With learners understanding where cocoa production falls in the teaching learning process, it will help the learners to be able to relate the impacts of cocoa production and transformation on livelihood in kekem-bafang corridor and to better under their subject matter in class,(MINESEC 2019).

1.2 Problem statement

The cultivation of cocoa was a great economic sector in upper Nkam division before the economic crisis. After the cocoa crisis and the adoption of economic measures by the Cameroonian authorities, the management of cocoa plantation has undergone significant changes. The situation in kekem-Bafang corridor in particular where this cocoa activity is intense has greatly changed as NEO industry (Emmanuel Neossi) is a cocoa transformation factory in the locality. The gain from cocoa is less significant as most cocoa farms are made up of food crops like oranges, mandarin, plums even banana, plantain and cocoyam. The living conditions of cocoa producers in Bafang do not portray that there are doing a favorable activity such as cocoa cultivation, since most farmers cannot clearly say there are able to sustain life from cocoa income.

The state of cocoa production and the state of socio-economic development of Kekem-Bafang corridor has a slow improvement in respect to the establishment of a transformation center which merged in the process chain of cocoa production, starting from farmers to local buying, to regional cocoa merchant for quality control and then to exporters and domestic processing and finally to trade houses for exported products. This description of flow involves the local population at almost all levels and yet the activity failed to address the key economic values such as determinant of prices of products, consumption of home produce, effective demand and supply of market economy, that could impact a long-term improvement to the area. Thus, the state of cocoa production and transformation in Kekem-Bafang corridor though, created jobs and encourages other economic activities, improve water supply, and other social amenities, but still insignificant to the impact of the economic livelihood of the population of the area.

1.3 Research question

1.3.1 Main research question

What are the Impacts of cocoa production and transformation on livelihood in Kekem-Bafang corridor?

1.3.2. Specific research question

1.What is the current state of cocoa production and transformation in Kekem-Bafang corridor?

2.How is the cocoa value chain organized in the Kekem-Bafang corridor?

3.Is cocoa production and transformation a viable source of livelihood in Kekem-Bafang corridor today?

4.What pedagogic values is the study on cocoa production and transformation today?

1.4   Research objectives

1.4.1 Main research objective

To examine the impacts of cocoa production and transformation on livelihood in Kekem-Bafang corridor.

1.4.2 Specific research objectives

1.Examine the current state of cocoa production and transformation in the Kekem-Bafang corridor

2.Investigate how cocoa value chain is organized in the Kekem-Bafang corridor

3.Examine whether cocoa production and transformation can improve livelihood in Kekem-Bafang corridor

4.Identify the pedagogic values of the study on cocoa production and transformation sector