DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sajb.2026.v14i06.004

Pages: 437-447

Declining soil fertility is a major challenge in cocoa farming at both the international and national levels. In Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s leading producer of cocoa beans, farmers have adopted various agroecological practices to address this issue, including agroforestry. The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of three tree species on soil fertility and cocoa pod yield in four agroforestry systems. The experimental design consisted of three circles with radii of 5, 10, and 15 meters placed around the tree where cocoa trees are in production. Additionally, a second experimental plot was established in a cocoa monoculture to serve as a control. The study revealed that certain soil chemical properties are improved under these tree species: pH (pH = 5.1 in the monoculture and 5.5 < pH < 6.5 under the three tree species), C (1.25%) under Termiliana ivorensis within a 10-meter radius, P (P=0.6%) under Termiliana superba within a 15-meter radius, N (N>0.1%) and CEC (CEC>15 Cmol/kg) in the soils under the three tree species within a 15-meter radius. Furthermore, pod yields were significantly higher within the three radii under the three species (45 to 85 pods), especially under Ricinodendron heudelotii, compared to (20 to 25 pods) in monoculture. The three tree species improve soil chemical fertility through litter. Introducing these species not only rehabilitates degraded land but also provides an alternative to the use of costly and often harmful chemical inputs. Thus, cocoa cultivation combined with these trees should be accompanied by appropriate cover crops to improve the bioavailability of nutrients.