Fostering agroforestry? Lessons from The Republic of C?te d'Ivoire

Promoting the emergence of agrofo-restry in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire has become a national priority. The country's agricultural sector generates 70% of export income, employs two-thirds of the working population and contributes one-third of GDP. However, this remarkable economic performance is based on cash crop farming, which has developed at the expense of natural forests, resul-ting in one of the most alarming defo-restation rates in the world. To address this situation, the Ivorian government is promoting agroforestry as a solution, particularly in the cocoa sector. Howe-ver, a detailed analysis of the origin of the trees present in cropfields suggests that agroforestry in Cote d'Ivoire can be divided into two categories: reforesta-tion agroforestry, which restores forest cover by gradually associating trees with cocoa trees, and deforestation agrofo-restry, which degrades and impoverishes forest cover by converting natural forests into agroforestry systems. It is crucial to distinguish between these two forms of agroforestry in order to develop poli-cies that encourage reforestation rather than deforestation. Also essential is to develop and set up dynamic agroforestry monitoring indicators that can assess the agroforestry trajectories of cropfields over time, and thus encourage farmers' long-term commitment to increasing forest cover.