Cocoa Farming and Carbon Footprint in the New Cocoa Production Area in Côte d’Ivoire: The Case of the Biankouma Department

Côte d'Ivoire remains the world's leading cocoa producer, but this success has come at the cost of severe pressure on forest ecosystems and the uncontrolled use of chemical inputs to increase cocoa production. Unfortunately, all these practices have an impact on the environment, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Against this backdrop, this study aims to assess the impact of agricultural practices related to cocoa farming on greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon, in the department of Biankouma. To achieve this, semi-structured surveys using a questionnaire were conducted among cocoa farmers. The questions asked focused mainly on how the plots were maintained, the types and quantities of inputs used, the previous crop, and the means of transport used. In addition, the total volume of carbon emitted was determined according to the age of the plantations. The main results showed that forest conversion is the main route of cocoa expansion, with 74.12% of plantations located on former forests in the department of Biankouma. The use of plant protection products in cocoa plantations is also widespread in Biankouma, with a rate of 87.34% of producers. Plantations aged 26 to 30 years and those aged 11 to 15 years have the highest annual yields, at 1,321.08 kg/ha and 1,144.7 kg/ha, respectively. In terms of carbon footprint, in Biankouma, cocoa plantations between 26 and 30 years old emit more carbon, with a value of 5.19E+04 kgCO₂. These results confirm that the carbon footprint of Ivorian cocoa farming is mainly linked to land use change, chemical intensification, and high cocoa tree productivity.