Cocoa farming makes Côte d’Ivoire the largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans in the world. this leads to the reduction of the forest area to 80%. However, these vegetal formations are a source of many goods and services for the population. Despite the intensification of cocoa production, producers preserve and/or grow woody species in association with cocoa trees. Recent studies reveal that the type and dimensions of species, as well as the ecosystem services provided by Traditional Agroforestry Systems to Cocoa (SAF) are determined by peasants. Our objective is therefore to contribute to a better knowledge of SAF by studying the preserved woody stand in cocoa SAF, in the western area of Côte d’Ivoire, with strong agricultural dynamics. Floristic inventories were carried out in 75 plots of 400 m2 each and ethnobotanical surveys concerned 100 producers. The results showed that the preserved flora is diversified and rich of 48 species with 44 genera distributed among 27 families, among that the most dominant are Euphobiaceae (13 p.c.) and Fabaceae (10 p.c.). The preserved species are useful in 12 uses categories dominated more than 35% by traditional medecine, food, firewood, timber and trade. In the current context of global change, these results make possible to value the resources of SAF but also help to find how to guarantee the resilience of production systems and food security.

In Ivory Coast, plant-based medicine is the mainstay of primary healthcare for the majority of the population, thanks to its geographical, economic and cultural accessibility. As with this population, cocoa farmers in the Daloa region and their families continue to use plant species from the surrounding environment or their cocoa agroforestry systems on a daily basis for their health care. Despite its importance, this medicinal phytodiversity is threatened with extinction by the dynamic expansion of cocoa plantations and maintenance activities. The aim of our study is to contribute to a better understanding of the medicinal flora used by cocoa growers. Ethnobotanical surveys of 100 growers and their families showed that they suffer from 38 diseases, of which malaria, hemorrhoids, general fatigue, stomach ulcers and typhoid fever are the most common. The medicinal flora used is rich in 21 species divided into 20 genera and 17 families. It is collected mainly from fallow land and cocoa agroforestry systems. The health profile of producers and their families could help guide decisions to improve their living conditions. In addition, the results of this study could contribute to better preservation of medicinal flora in cocoa agroforestry systems in the current context of the biodiversity crisis.

In the climate change context, the reduction of forest area under the influence of cacaoculture is a growing problem. In Côte d’Ivoire, mitigating the effects of climate change in cacaoculture requires the introduction and preservation of woody species in plantations, in association to cocoa trees. However, the current intensification of land use is leading to a reduction of the number of trees associated to cocoa trees and the contribution of this woody flora to the mitigation of the effects of climate change is unclear. Our study aimed to assess the carbon storage of the associated woody species and to characterize the determinants of carbon storage. The circumference at 1.30 m above soil and total height of all individuals taller than 2 m in height were measured in 15 squares of 2 400 m2 for the associated woody stand and in 15 sub-squares of 800 m2 for the cocoa stand. The results showed that the carbon storage of the associated woody stand is 5 times higher than that the cocoa stand and recorded for large trees (diameter > 20 cm; height >8 m) such as Antiaris toxicaria, Ricinodendron heudelotii and Persea americana. Also, this high carbon storage is mainly due to the diameter and total height of the tree and not to the number of individuals. The association of large-scale species with cocoa trees could guarantee the resilience of cocoa agroforestry systems with trees.