An article published by Climate Change Dispatch terming a news story by Associated Press (AP) about the impact of climate change on cocoa farming in Côte d’Ivoire as disinformation is FALSE.
Climate Change Dispatch alleges that the AP story, republished by the United States’ ABC News, is false and that “cocoa production is benefiting from climate change”.
The AP story centres on smallholder cocoa bean farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and their concerns about production losses due to climate change.
Almost two-thirds of the world’s cocoa beans came from West Africa in 2020, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (see graph). Côte d’Ivoire contributed nearly 40 per cent to the world total.
International organisations and research back up the AP article’s claims.
Ghanaian researchers found that higher temperatures and decreased precipitation negatively impacted cocoa bean production in West Africa. This agrees with the farmers quoted in the AP article.
Nicaraguan researchers projected that climate change could have a dramatic effect on the suitable cultivation areas in West Africa.
Researchers from Brazil and Africa found that cocoa’s climate susceptibility could be variable in West Africa, potentially driving migrations of farmers and increased deforestation. They say increasing maximum temperatures in dry seasons could be “limiting” for cocoa...
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