Sometimes pest, sometimes pest controller "Animals such as birds, bats and insects, but also rodents, are important for cacao agroforestry," Justine Vansynghel explains.

ILHEUS, Brazil — The European foot-and-mouth epidemic offers few insights about agricultural devastation that Jose Bardaro doesn’t already have. An invisible airborne pest, a virtual organic ...

Promoting cacao production without sacrificing biodiversity International research team shows benefits of cacao grafting for farmers and nature alike Date: January 30, 2025 Source: University of ...

An international research team led by the University of Göttingen quantified the benefits of birds’ and bats’ consumption of plant-feeding insects for the productivity of cacao agroforestry. The ...

The cacao pest-management research, led by program leader Dr. Divinia M. Amalin of the DLSU, seeks to develop biological-based pest-management strategies that can be used by smallholder farmers ...

Indonesia is the world’s third biggest cocoa producer. But increased pest attacks and aging trees have slashed its production this year. Worldwide, cocoa farmers struggle against severe but ...

With 30% of global cocoa production lost through major pests and diseases, the centre's co-ordinator, Dr Andrew Daymond, said new varieties of cocoa needed to be "more resilient".

Cocoa farmers in the world's second-biggest producer Ghana are expecting a bumper harvest for the upcoming 2025/2026 season, ...

Insect-eating bats that prey on pests in cocoa farms prefer farms that retain large, old-growth trees that shade the plantations. Researchers aiming to find a “sweet spot” in agroforestry ...

With the support of the De La Salle University Biological Control Research Unit, local producers of cacao are creating a new technology that could protect their farms from pest infestations. From this ...

Cacao faces fewer immediate challenges compared to coffee, which is prone to pests and diseases, and can integrate well into agroforestry systems. However, ...