The cocoa plant grows in tropical environments, throughout the wet, rainy regions of Africa, Asia and Central America.

The best soils for cocoa are deep, well-drained clay loam rich in organic matter. Scattered stones are pebbles are tolerable up to 40% of the surface of such soils. Coarse gravelly soils, sandy soils, shallow soils, and soils are underlain by slab rock or hard laterite are unsuitable.

Best Environment : Altitude: up to 600MSL,Temperature: Most suitable temperature is between 210 – 320 C,Rainfall: 1150 -2500 mm is recommended,pH: 5-6.5 is recommended,Atmospheric humidity: thrives best under moist humid conditions. Frequent winds are harmful as it decreases humidity.

Business Case / Problem:

  • In many parts of the world, the factors contributing to the decline in cocoa production include effects of climate change;
  • ageing trees prone to pests and diseases;
  • Lack of scientific knowledge on the crop, at the farm level. 

Solution Overview:

  • SenzAgro Climate smart Agriculture (CSA) sensors monitors environmental parameters, automatically manages data collection and storage, and transmits information to the Cloud.
  • Parameters measured include:Temperature, Humidity,Soil EC, pH,Photo-synthetically active radiation (PAR) .Soil water potential, Luminous / Shade Level, Micro weather data
  • On-site research managers to assign data collection tasks to field staff, directly synchronised to their respective tablet devices.
  • Access and visualisation of sensor, environmental, input data by on-site and off-site researchers.
Why CSA for Cocoa

Use Case – Fungal diseases are dangerous and contagious. Damage from root disease is often due to poor understanding of farm management, particularly in humid farms that experience frequent rainfall or flooding. CSA systems guide the farmers with early warning mechanisms.

Required Action

Sustainable crop management includes field schools for farmers to improve knowledge of farming techniques, and help to establish best practices to break the infection cycle and prevent infestation. The Internet of Things (IoT) solves one of the major challenges of data access.

Results Expected

  •  Development of pest-resistant cocoa clones.

  • Learning and sharing techniques to rehabilitate old or unproductive trees.

  • Prevention of deforestation, important for sustainability and climate concerns