Tree crops as deforestation and reforestation agents: the case of cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Sulawesi.

This paper is based on farm surveys and historical reviews of regional cocoa cycles conducted in 1980-1985 and 1997/98 in Côte d'Ivoire and in 1989-1999 in Sulawesi (Indonesia). A qualitative model of cocoa cycles is presented. The adoption of cocoa and new manual techniques of forest clearing and planting in Côte d'Ivoire, and the adoption of chainsaws and herbicides and the impact of green revolution in Sulawesi are discussed. Features of the main technical changes studied in the two areas are tabulated. The cases of Côte d'Ivoire and Sulawesi showed that lack of formal (statutory) property rights does not necessarily deter short- and medium-term investments in cocoa orchards. In an increasingly risky social environment, however, more secure land tenure may facilitate longer-term investments, such as replanting cocoa with timber trees.