One of the most comprehensive analyses of Agroforestry efforts to date.

Today we meet with IUAF trustee Dr. Eduardo Somarriba, a plant ecologist who has been working in agroforestry for 43 years, specializing in multi-strata systems with cocoa and coffee. He has focused on designing the optimal shade canopy and has developed software to model different configurations. Eduardo has written over 300 scientific publications on agroforestry to date.

Recently, Eduardo has actively contributed to a project coordinated by Be Slavery Free which created a chocolate scorecard that assess the cacao industry’s social, economic and environmental policies.

On top of some of the best triple-bottom-line certification methods implemented by universities, consultants and civil society groups committed to transforming the chocolate industry, this scorecard provides the most comprehensive analysis of agroforestry efforts to date. Today, we speak with Eduardo about his work and his participation in the scorecard’s agroforestry section. 

Oliver Gardiner: 

Hi Eduardo, could you please provide us with a few snapshots of your background in agroforestry?

Eduardo Somarriba:

Hi Oliver, I’m a plant ecologist with 43 years of experience in agroforestry. I am professor of agroforestry at CATIE (Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center) , Costa Rica. I started working in 1981, just a few years after agroforestry was created as a scientific discipline in 1977. Back then, you had to be a generalist to work in agroforestry. Now, you need to specialize in a particular field of agroforestry.

I have spent the last 30 years optimizing the design of shade canopies for multi-strata systems involving tree crops, particularly coffee and cocoa. My focus has been to understand the factors affecting the design of shade canopy in these crops. Shading is a significant issue as trees are usually taller than coffee or cocoa plants. To address shading issues, I developed methodologies and a software called ShadeMotion to help agroforesters and farmers to design shade canopies.

I have published several papers on these issues, from tree growth, crop damage cost/control, tree planting, assisted natural regeneration, to optimal shading design. So, this is me, in a nutshell.

Oliver Gardiner:

Recently you’ve been working on the 5^th Edition (released April 2024) of the Chocolate Scorecard. Could you explain how it works and what was your role?

Eduardo Somarriba:

Educating consumers is of utmost importance. Current certification systems such as organic, bird friendly, fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and others are constantly evolving and improving. New certification initiatives are also part of the landscape.

The Chocolate Scorecard is a young initiative. Its fifth edition, for 2024, has just been released. Civil society, the NGO system, universities, and academia have contributed to its development.

The Chocolate Scorecard is divided into six categories that cover important aspects of cocoa production. These categories include traceability and transparency, living income for farmers, child labour, deforestation and climate, chemical pollution, biodiversity, and agroforestry.

The agroforestry section of the Chocolate Scorecard focuses on five major themes:

1) Wether cocoa companies’ have an agroforestry policy, by sourcing countries, in their supply chain

2) Estimation of the percentage of the supply produced under agroforestry, by source country

3) Agroforestry parameters used to define the agroforestry supported by a cocoa company (including how many trees per hectare, recommended number of shade tree species, percentage of native or exotic species, percent canopy cover, and vertical stratification of the shade canopy

4) Company support for farmers transitioning to agroforestry. For instance, is the company supporting farmers in establishing new agroforestry systems or transitioning from non-agroforestry production systems into agroforestry systems? What mechanisms do they use to support this transition? Do they provide technical advice, supply seedlings, or pay differential prices?

5) Other agroforestry considerations. The Scorecard provides companies with the opportunity to share more information about their views on agroforestry and their plans.

Cocoa companies participating in the Chocolate Scorecard include traders, grinders, manufacturers, and retailers. The scorecard helps differentiate how different cocoa and certification companies, governments, and sectoral platforms (e.g. the various initiatives for sustainable cocoa in European countries, usually referred to as ISCOs or the World Cocoa Foundation’s Cocoa and Forests Initiative) view agroforestry in terms of the agroforestry parameter.

Overall, the agroforestry category of the Chocolate Scorecard includes the minimum but sufficient elements for a reasonable analysis of how agroforestry should be defined. It is one of the most complete cocoa agroforestry assessments of its kind.

Oliver Gardiner:

I cannot help but notice the two companies leading in agroforestry having the highest scores in other categories among 42 companies in 2024. Should this be a surprise?

Eduardo Somarriba:

The pressure for different companies to incorporate agroforestry as a good agricultural practice is relatively new, only about five to ten years old. Putting trees back into the cocoa landscape is necessary because while forests are rapidly vanishing, cocoa systems have very few trees. If trees are reintroduced in cocoa farms, it can significantly improve the environmental and biodiversity conservation potential of the cocoa landscape.

However, undoing what they have been doing for the past 40 to 50 years is not easy. Changing minds in the extension system and providing evidence that tree planting does not hamper productivity in cocoa is a crucial challenge. It takes time.

The issue of scale is a significant problem. In West Africa alone, there are six million hectares of cocoa, and only 30% of it is in agroforestry. This means that more than four million hectares need to be addressed, which is a major challenge. Moving from non-agroforestry to agroforestry, or from very low tree density agroforestry to a more optimal agroforestry, is a paramount issue. There is a vast amount of money needed for companies to transition to agroforestry. 

As you move up the value chain, stakeholders tend to adopt certification standards to ensure that their supply complies with agroforestry. It is difficult for all companies to meet every aspect of certification. However, some companies are making efforts to enforce their policies in their origins, and we value these efforts a lot.

Civil society, climate change, and biodiversity conservation, along with informed consumers around the world, are putting pressure on the value chain, and we see it as a positive development. There are differences in the amount of investment required and the dynamics of different companies, which makes it challenging for all companies to run top in every single aspect of certification. However, the fact that companies are willing to engage in certification efforts that include all aspects is a positive sign.

Oliver Gardiner:

How are you involved in the scorecard? How do you work?

Eduardo Somarriba:

The Chocolate Scorecard convenes groups of experts from various specializations to conduct the assessments. In the case of agroforestry, I teamed up with Elsa Sanial, from NITIDAE, a French NGO, to ensure a fair evaluation. Elsa and I independently evaluate the same companies. Afterward, we discuss our scores and come to an agreement on the final assessment.

Last year, while assessing the 4^th edition of the Chocolate Scorecard I realized that the scoring system used was not ideal from an agroforestry standpoint. Elsa and I were given the freedom to suggest changes to improve the structure and content of the agroforestry section. Our proposal was accepted and was used it in the 5^th edition (year 2024) of the Chocolate Scorecard. The new assessment structure showed that more detailed data is required from the cocoa companies to obtain a thorough assessment of their efforts in cocoa agroforestry. Our hope is to have more complete data next year (6^th edition, year 2025).

The companies that participate in the Chocolate Scorecard process are in a challenging position, especially large companies that struggle to provide all the necessary data. However, this process provides valuable feedback to the companies, helping them improve their agroforestry interventions. The dialogue between scholars and companies leads to a process of continuous improvement from both sides.

Oliver Gardiner:

What advice can you give for transitioning from intensive cocoa monocultures to agroforestry on a large scale? Where should one start? 

Eduardo Somarriba:

If starting agroforestry from scratch, it is best to plan from the beginning – deciding on what trees to plant, what spacing to use, and how to manage the plantation. However, if you already have a cocoa plantation, but without trees, then a different approach is needed. The first step is to assess what needs to be changed.

The goal of agroforestry is to increase income while addressing environmental issues. To achieve this, one must balance the use of different species. For instance, you may want to conserve native species, but you might not know enough about them to predict things like growth rates and output.

In such cases, more information is needed to inform farmers and the industry about the ecological value of such species. Most agroforestry systems use fast-growing species that are good for timber, but not for biodiversity conservation. It is essential to combine these species with fruit trees that are economically important to farmers but may not have the same ecological value.

Designing an agroforestry system requires balancing synergies and tradeoffs. Therefore, it is crucial to gather all knowledge about different species, systems, designs, and management practices. This information can then be discussed with farmers in different contexts to develop objective and informed conversations about the best design for a particular context. NGOs are implementing agroforestry projects in Africa using participatory analysis, but more work needs to be done.

Oliver Gardiner:

Thank you for your time, Eduardo, we hear there is a plan to develop a coffee scorecard?

Eduardo Somarriba:

Thank you, Oliver, yes indeed, this initiative is called Coffee Watch and will be launched very soon. It shares many similarities with the Chocolate Scorecard.

Oliver Gardiner:

We’ll stay tuned!

Oliver Gardiner is IUAF’s Outreach Manager – oliver.gardiner@iuaf.org