Consequences of Cultural Practices on the Production and Black Rot of Cocoa Beans in the Agneby-Tiassa Region of Ivory Coast

Côte d'Ivoire's economy is based on agricultural production, primarily cocoa cultivation. This sector plays a dominant role in the country's development, accounting for nearly 20% of GDP. However, as the world's leading producer of cocoa beans, Côte d'Ivoire faces several challenges, including aging plantations, heavy pest and disease pressure, fluctuating international bean prices, labor shortages, pod brown rot, and plot maintenance. This study aims to evaluate farming practices on village plantations to identify major issues and help farmers find sustainable solutions for cocoa production. To this end, a survey was conducted in 70 localities using a questionnaire to assess farmers' knowledge of brown rot and other pests, biofungicides, chemical pesticides, mineral and organic fertilizers, and their plots' annual production and cleaning. A principal component analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the survey parameters and the localities. An ascending hierarchical classification was performed on the PCA results. This analysis grouped the plots into three categories: The first group contains plots with low production, the second with average production, and the third with fairly high production. This diagnostic study revealed that black rot of cocoa pods is the primary challenge for farmers. This is due to poor plot management. Therefore, regular field maintenance measures are necessary.