European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF TREES ASSOCIATED WITH COCOA TREES IN THE GOH REGION IN THE CENTER-WEST OF COTE D’IVOIRE

KOUAME Koa Anderson*, KOUAME N’Dri Marie-Thérèse, MANGARA Ali and BOHI Ablegué Georges Stanislas

ABSTRACT

Cocoa-based agroforestry in the Gôh region appears to be an alternative for sustainable production. The main objective of this study was to determine the tree species compatible with cocoa trees. This will involve inventorying the species spared or introduced during the establishment of their plantation and evaluating the producers' perception of these trees through an ethnobotanical survey. To achieve this objective, ethnobotanical surveys were carried out among cocoa producers spread across nine localities. These interviews focused on the profile of the farmers, the previous cultivation of their farms, the variety of cocoa grown and the species of trees associated with the cocoa trees. The results obtained show that 59% of the 248 producers interviewed are indigenous, 32% are non-native and 9% are non-native. In total, 84 tree species divided into 69 genera and 32 families associated with cocoa trees were cited by producers and are subdivided into local species and introduced species. These tree species, in addition to ensuring food and health security for populations, also help fight climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

Keywords: agroforestry, associated trees, cocoa trees, ethnobotany, Gôh region.