Livelihoods in Transition: farmers’ response to the Cocoa Pod Borer disaster

George Curry, Gina Koczberski, Esley Peter, Joachim Lummani, Kathleen Natera, Robert Nailina & Jack Pundu

Collaborative ACIAR funded project – Curtin University, Australia and the PNG Cocoa and Coconut Institute

What is Cocoa Pod Borer?

(Conopomorpha cramerella)

What is Cocoa Pod Borer?

(Conopomorpha cramerella)

What has been the impact of CPB on cocoa production at the national and

provincial level?

What has been the impact of CPB on cocoa production at the national and

provincial level?

Projected Fall in Production

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

Tonn

es

Cocoa Production by Province

-

5,000

10,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Tonn

es

East New Britain ARB East Sepik

What have been the local impacts of CPB on rural households?

We are like foreigners now with CPB. We are starting again and surviving on garden foods.

Our lives are finished now. We don’t know what to do or what road to follow (CPB affected

grower, Vudal)

We are like foreigners now with CPB. We are starting again and surviving on garden foods.

Our lives are finished now. We don’t know what to do or what road to follow (CPB affected

grower, Vudal)

How are smallholder livelihood strategies being modified in response to CPB?

• Abandoning cocoa production

• Expanding production of garden crops

• Establishing new livelihood activities

• Reduced household expenditure

• Increased reliance on remittances

• Harvesting the cocoa of relatives in non-CPB areas

• Abandoning cocoa production

• Expanding production of garden crops

• Establishing new livelihood activities

• Reduced household expenditure

• Increased reliance on remittances

• Harvesting the cocoa of relatives in non-CPB areas

Abandoning cocoa and expanding production of garden crops

Men's Top Ranked Income Sources before and after CPB Incursion

020406080

100

Wag

eE

mpl

oym

ent

Coc

oa

Oth

er c

ash

crop

PM

V/U

tility

vehi

cle

Ker

osen

esa

les

Loca

lm

arke

ts

Live

stoc

k

Fish

ing

Per c

ent o

f Hou

seho

lds

Before CPB After CPB

Men's Top Ranked Income Sources before and after CPB Incursion

020406080

100

Wag

eE

mpl

oym

ent

Coc

oa

Oth

er c

ash

crop

PM

V/U

tility

vehi

cle

Ker

osen

esa

les

Loca

lm

arke

ts

Live

stoc

k

Fish

ing

Per c

ent o

f Hou

seho

lds

Before CPB After CPB

Women's Top Ranked Income Sources before and after CPB Incursion

0102030405060708090

Wag

eE

mpl

oym

ent

Coc

oa

Oth

er c

ash

crop

s

Ker

osen

esa

les

Loca

lm

arke

ts

Bak

ing

Fish

ing

Per c

ent o

f Hou

seho

lds

Before CPB After CPB

Women's Top Ranked Income Sources before and after CPB Incursion

0102030405060708090

Wag

eE

mpl

oym

ent

Coc

oa

Oth

er c

ash

crop

s

Ker

osen

esa

les

Loca

lm

arke

ts

Bak

ing

Fish

ing

Per c

ent o

f Hou

seho

lds

Before CPB After CPB

Responses in Livelihood Strategies Since CPB Incursion (excluding Local markets)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Coffee Kerosenesales

Livestock Other cashcrops

Remittances Sewing Tradestore WageEmployment

Baking Fishing

Num

bers

of H

ouse

hold

s

Decreased No Change Increased Started since CPB

Establishing new livelihoods

Responses in Livelihood Strategies Since CPB Incursion (excluding Local markets)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Coffee Kerosenesales

Livestock Other cashcrops

Remittances Sewing Tradestore WageEmployment

Baking Fishing

Num

bers

of H

ouse

hold

s

Decreased No Change Increased Started since CPB

Decreased household expenditure

Less household expenditure on: • Travel to town

• Financial support given to extended family

• Medical care

• Alcohol

• School fees

• Travel to town

• Financial support given to extended family

• Medical care

• Alcohol

• School fees

Why has the impact of CPB been so great, and why do farmers seem so

powerless to do anything?

Why has the impact of CPB been so great, and why do farmers seem so

powerless to do anything?

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

Structural Characteristics of a Smallholder Cocoa Block by Age

Labour Inputs(Grass slashing & harvesting)

Dry Bean Wet BeanWet Bean

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

Labour Inputs(Grass slashing & harvesting)

Dry Bean Wet BeanWet Bean

Farming Foraging

NEED TO MOVE FROMFORAGING TOFARMING TO:Increase motivation &

incentives to work on block

Raise productivity & incomes

Farming

Replant

Dry Bean

New Higher Labour Inputs

Former Labour Inputs

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

None or VeryPoor

Poor Adequate Good Very Good

Levels of Block Maintenance

Per C

ent o

f Blo

cks

Weeding Pruning Shade control

Survey of 98 blocks in (Dec 2004-Jan 2005)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

None or VeryPoor

Poor Adequate Good Very Good

Levels of Block Maintenance

Per C

ent o

f Blo

cks

Weeding Pruning Shade control

What are the main problems in tackling the CPB threat?

• Growers will persist with the foraging production strategy of very low labour inputs thereby exacerbating CPB problems and impacts and making solutions more elusive.

• Abandoned blocks will increase and become a reservoir for CPB, thus reducing the effectiveness of CPB control programmes.

• The limited capacity of extension agencies and ineffective coordination among them.

• Complacency amongst some people in government, the private sector and amongst the general public which may make it difficult to implement an effective and coordinated response to CPB.

• Growers will persist with the foraging production strategy of very low labour inputs thereby exacerbating CPB problems and impacts and making solutions more elusive.

• Abandoned blocks will increase and become a reservoir for CPB, thus reducing the effectiveness of CPB control programmes.

• The limited capacity of extension agencies and ineffective coordination among them.

• Complacency amongst some people in government, the private sector and amongst the general public which may make it difficult to implement an effective and coordinated response to CPB.

THE AGMARK MODEL

VUNAPAO

TABAULETOKIALA/

TAVILO

VUNARAKAN /NAPAPAR 1,2,3,4 & 5

AGMARK-TOKIALA

TRADING & ADVISORY

SERVICEVUNAKABI

VUNAPAKA TAKEKEL

TINGANAGALIP

Farmer Discussion Groups

Five year cocoa development strategic plan

1. Purchase of wet and dry bean cocoa

2. Farmer advisory services (CPB etc)

3. Credit to smallholders (seedlings & hardware)

4. Transport services

5. Banking Service – BSP banking agent

6. Income diversification

7. Social services assistance

4

5

6

7

8

Average Nos of CPB pods per tree by Block Mgmt score

0

1

2

3

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+

Block Management Score

25

30

35

40

45

50

Per c

ent o

f Blo

cks

Block Management Tokiala June 2009

0

5

10

15

20

Very Poor Poor Adequate Good Very Good

Per c

ent o

f Blo

cks

Levels of Block Management

Weeding Pruning Shade control

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Per c

ent o

f Blo

cks

Block Management Tinganagalip 2009

0

5

10

15

20

Very Poor Poor Adequate Good Very Good

Per c

ent o

f Blo

cks

Levels of Block Management

Weeding Pruning Shade control

8

10

12

14

No.

of P

ods

Average Numbers of Pods per Tree at Tinganagalip & Tokiala (June 2009)

0

2

4

6

Unripe healthy pods Black/dry pods Pods with CPB

No.

of P

ods

Tinganagalip Tokiala

3

4

5

6

7

8

Average No. of times each cocoa activity is conducted per household in Tinganagalip and Tokiala

0

1

2

Activity

Tinganagalip Tokiala

Take Home Points•Future of the cocoa industry looks uncertain

•There are three paths out of this:1. CPB-tolerant cocoa becomes available &

widely distributed2. Switch from foraging to farming

(Need to assess effectiveness of different extension models – what works, what doesn’t & why?)

3. Alternative cash crops

•Future of the cocoa industry looks uncertain

•There are three paths out of this:1. CPB-tolerant cocoa becomes available &

widely distributed2. Switch from foraging to farming

(Need to assess effectiveness of different extension models – what works, what doesn’t & why?)

3. Alternative cash crops