Containing the Spread of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus

Cocoa swollen shoot virus (CSSV) is one of the most destructive diseases in cocoa production, with no cure once a tree is infected. Left unaddressed, yields can drop by half within two years and entire farms can be lost within three to five. Infection rates in Côte d'Ivoire have been rising, putting an estimated 15% of the country's cocoa supply at risk.

With truly disease resistant varieties only available in potentially 5 to 10 years, the only way to stem the progress of the virus lies in the removal of infected trees, along with a buffer around these. Most farmers are reluctant to act. Many do not know their farms are infected in the early stages, or the full extent of infection on their plots. In addition, after removing infected trees, farmers must wait three years before replanting cocoa in the same spot. Because uprooting trees means losing income with no immediate replacement, there is a strong temptation to continue harvesting the dwindling production as the infection progresses. Delaying any intervention is the most common response, but inaction on one farm puts the farming community at a greater risk.

Working at the level of the community, the effort starts with rapid diagnostics to identify infected plots and trees at the earliest signs of infection—leaf loss or unusual leaf patterns—before shoots swell and trees begin to die. We are trialing incentives tied to cutting and replanting milestones in order not to leave farmers with the full cost of the remediation. In this way, we help farmers act at the right time, and we accompany them through the process of replanting crops resistant to CSSV. Implementation is refined continuously, with on-farm data and farmer feedback driving each phase. To date, over half of farmers have agreed to uproot infected trees, a rate we are working to increase significantly.