United Nations Environment Programme/ Regional Office for Europe

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CAMEROON PROJECT Integrated Assessment of
Trade-Related Policies and Biological Diversity
in the Cocoa Sector By Jean Pierre MVONDO
AWONO Etienne ASSOUMOU EBO Amadou WASSOUNI Jean
AMBASSA MVE Geneva, 26-28 November 2007


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OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSESSMENT

• ? To assess the environmental, social and
  economic impacts of the liberalization of cocoa
  commercialisation by the law N2004/025 of
  December 30, 2004, on biodiversity in the cocoa
  producing provinces in Cameroon.
• ? The main preoccupation is to understand how
  this law and other related policies affect
  biodiversity.

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FOCUS OF THE PROJECT

• The choice of the Cocoa sector is justified by
• ? the geographical distribution in the country
  (400 000 ha distributed in 7 provinces out of 10)
  
• ? its importance as first export crop,
  contributing up to 11.42 of the total export
  returns
• ? the high number of people concerned (400 000
  to 600 000 people (81 with no other profession)
• ? the income generated (up to 50 to 75 of the
  total budget of 90 of households) in the 80s.
• Any improvement in the cocoa sector would result
  in beneficial effects in the struggle against
  poverty

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

• ? The law N2004/025 of December 30, 2004,
  liberalized the trade of cocoa in Cameroon.
• ? This law also encouraged the expansion of
  cocoa plantation, together with the
  revalorization of prices paid to producers, and
  the existence of assets favourable to such
  expansion (land, labour, etc.)
• ? Expanding cocoa farms is mainly done at the
  expense of natural forests or by settings on
  lands exploited for other plants. These result in
  modifications in land use and impacts on
  biodiversity.
• ? The fragmentation of the habitat by
  atomization of plantations in the landscape is
  one of the factors affecting biodiversity.

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK (cont.)
Trade measure Liberalisation of the cocoa sector (law N2004/ 025 of December 30, 2004) Agricultural activities Forest land clearing Pesticide use Agricultural biodiversity Cocoa varieties Fruit crops Vegetable crops Medicinal plants Farmers income and food security Increased farmers revenues Food availability
Other influences 6th International cocoa agreement Structural adjustment New agricultural policy Cocoa production improvement project Intensity of land use Extensive land use Ecosystem services Production Recreational Spiritual Educational Other aspects of human well-being Adequate housing Kids education Health care Contribution to social events
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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK (cont.)
Law of December 30, 2004
Other aspects of well being - Infrastructures -
Education - Health - Social obligations, etc
Local and national Economy
Other policies influencing cocoa production
Trade liberalisation
Legislation of Commercial activities
Non agricultural revenues
Assets  - Land - Expertise - Labour -
Commercial Circuits, etc
Price to producers
Commercial activities
- Revenues from cocoa and other crops - Food
security
Production of cocoa and other crops
Increase of cocoa production
Other ecosystem functions and services
Expansion/ redensification
Changes in land use
Ecosystem services
Biodiversity within cocoa plantations
Habitat fragmentation /atomisation of plantations
in the landscape
Biodiversity out of cocoa plantations
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METHODOLOGY AND TOOLS

• The point of departure for the analysis of
  impacts is at the onset of the liberalisation of
  the cocoa trade (80s).
• The main economic, social and environmental
  indicators used to assess the impacts include
  price paid to producers, yields, income from
  cocoa sales and sales of other crops,
  contribution to local and national economies,
  number and types of jobs, rate and amount of
  forest land conversion, agricultural and non
  agricultural biodiversity, amount of pesticides
  use.
• One of the scenarios examined was related to the
  implications of the production targets on forest
  land clearing and biodiversity (250 000 tons in
  2015).

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METHODOLOGY AND TOOLS (cont.)

• ? The study was based on the ecosystem approach
  (sustainable use of natural resources) and
  participatory approach (implication of all
  stakeholders).
• ? Literature reviews
• ? Assessment methods used were
• - analysis of the chain of causality
• - scenario development
• - trend analysis.
• ? Tools for data acquisition included
• - Interviews,
• - Talks
• - Group discussions
• - Field observations.

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UPDATE OF ASSESSMENT PROCESS

•  Steps    
• - Initial information gathering on
• . cocoa sector
• . trade policies and
• . regulations in the environmental sector
• - Identification of main stakeholders
• - Elaboration of conceptual framework
• - Field and resourceful persons visits
• - Data/information processing, analysis and
  discussion
• - Reporting

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INTERIM RESULTS

• - Cocoa producers income increase
• - Job offer to the rise
• - General improvement of living conditions
• - Structuring and regrouping of producers
• - Threat of unbalance in space management
• - Conversion and reduction of forest land
• - Contamination of the environment
• - Carbon liberation
• - Increased cocoa genetic diversity
• - Increased agricultural biodiversity
• - Decreased non agricultural biodiversity
• - Fragmentation of habitat
• - Threat of species disappearance

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

•  
• ? Project core team 
• - Dr WASSOUNI (MINEP)
• - Dr ASSOUMOU EBO Etienne (MINEP)
• - Dr MVONDO AWONO Jean Pierre (CEDC)
• - Dr AMBASSA MVE Jean (Consultant).
• ? Main implementing partners
• - Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection
  (MINEP)
• - Centre for Environment and Development Studies
  in Cameroon (CEDC)

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

•  
• ? Composition of the NSC
• Representatives of
• - Ministries MINCOMMERCE
• MINADER
• - SODECAO
• - UNDP
• - CICC
• - University of Dschang
• - NGOs
• - Cooperatives Unions
• - World Bank 
• - IUCN

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

• ?  Role of the NSC
• - to guide the development and the setting of the
  project 
• - to identify the main problems and interests of
  the project 
• - to give instructions on the results waited of
  the project 
• - to follow up and to appreciate the realization
  of the project in order to amend it if necessary
• - to debate on activities

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE (cont)

• ? Workshops
• Launching March 06, 2007.
• Capacity building March 06 and 07, 2007 
• ? These workshops enabled participants to have
• - a better understanding of the links between
  trade and biodiversity
• - an understanding of the stages involved in the
  integrated assessment process
• - a better knowledge of the methodologies of
  integrated assessment studies
• - an effective knowledge of the different trade
  agreements on agriculture and cacao sector

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE (cont)

• ? Major activities for the next 6 months
• - Mid term project evaluation
• - Continuation of the integrated assessment
  study
• - Country report
• - Steering committee meeting
• - Elaboration of policy response

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MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

• - Setting up the steering committee
• - Two meetings of the steering committee
• - Workshop to launch project
• - Workshop for capacity building
• - Development of the chronogram of activities
• - Assessment study
• - Assessment and technical reports
• - Study report in progress

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MAIN CHALLENGES

• ? The multiplicity of measures and policies with
  potential impacts on biodiversity. Sorting among
  these is challenging
• ? Participants not having the same understanding
  of the process. The process being new to most
  actors, it needs time and practice to be more
  effective.
• ? Functional and organizational difficulties
  related to people belonging to different
  organisations and scattered geographically.
• ? In spite of all these constraints, the project
  evolves successfully as demonstrated by
  achievements.