Côte d'Ivoire has a long history of coffee cultivation dating back to 1890. While early varieties were destroyed by disease in the 1940s, robusta coffee took hold starting in the 1950s. Today, Côte d'Ivoire produces around 3-5 million bags of robusta coffee per year, though production has declined in recent decades due to various economic and political factors. The National Agronomic Research Centre has developed high-yielding and disease-resistant robusta varieties as well as cultural techniques to boost yields, while a pilot project introduced the concept of identifying coffee "terroirs" to improve quality. Technology transfer relies on extension services but could be improved through farmer field schools. With the

1. COFFEE ROBUSTA
IN COTE D’IVOIRE
VITORIA, June 2012 By Dr KOFFI NGoran

2. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
 INTRODUCTION
 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
 CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION
Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa
 322 462 Km2
 20.8 million inhabitants
 Economic lung of West Africa : 40 % of GDP

4. INTRODUCTION
Coffee cultivation was introduced in the locality
of Alima (south-Eastern) in 1890 with two plant
varieties known as Indenié and Kouilou. But
these varieties were destroyed in the 1940s due
to coffee wilt disease (tracheomycosis).
Replantation by more disease resistant
varieties of Robusta took place in the 1950s
The distribution of seeds and plant materials
was then carried out by the African Farmers
Union and colonial farmers.

5. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
Identification of Coffee growing zone
Coffee growing zone First
Zone

6. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
PRODUCTION STATUS
Areas covered by coffee between 1930 and
1960:
 In 1934, 30.000 Ha including:
- 24.000 ha by European farmers, representing
80%
- 6.000 ha by African farmers, representing 20%
 In 1960, 500.000 ha were cultivated, including:
- 485.000 ha by African farmers, 97%
- 15.000 ha by the Europeans, (3%)

7. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
PRODUCTION STATUS
With the strong support of the Government
farmers expanded coffee planted areas to 1.2
million hectares.
400.000 farmers developed their coffee farms of
a small size:
 25% of their coffee farms are less than 2 ha,
 70% are between 2 and 10 ha,
 5% are above 10 ha.

8. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
Graph 1: Coffee production and exports by Côte d'Ivoire
7,000
6,000
5,000
Thousand 60kg bags
4,000
Production
Exportations
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1965/66 1970/71 1975/76 1980/81 1985/86 1990/91 1995/96 2000/01 2005/06 2010/11
Source: ICO

9. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
•Average production was between 3 and 5
million 60-kg bags per crop year from 1960/61 to
1999/2000,
•Production is essentially exported as green
beans without processing; Local processing is
weak, less than 20%.
• Coffee represented more than 40% of the
country total export revenues in the 1960s and
in the 70s,
•The downward trend of coffee production in
Cote d’Ivoire is attributable to a number of
factors including:

10. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
The liberalization of the filiere and the reform
from 1998;
 Very low levels of international price, less than
US cents 40/lb from 2000 to 2004 due mainly to an
oversupply in international market,
Increasing interest of coffee farmers for
alternative crops such as cocoa, palm oil, rubber,
 Ageing coffee trees,
 Socio-political crisis between 2002 and 2011.

11. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
Despite the current downward trend of production
there are still potentials for maintaining production
at reasonable levels:
 The national governing body has been
restructed; creation of Coffee & Cocoa Council in
2011,
 The National Agronomic Research Centre (CNRA)
 The extension services provider, the National
Agency for Rural Development support (ANADER),
The three main pillars will contribute to revitalize
Robusta coffee sector in the country.

12. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
Since 1960, technologies have been developed by
CNRA. The mission of coffee programme:
 To breed high yielding coffee varieties, resistant to
diseases and pests, with high quality beans,
 To develop appropriate cultural techniques for planting
and upkeepping coffee,
 To develop integrated management methods for the
control of pests and diseases,
 To provide farmers with improved planting materials,
 To train extension agents, farmers and other
stakeholders on good agricultural practices for
sustainable coffee production

13. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
1. Plant materials: From 1960 to 1984
 7 Clones (distributed as cuttings)
 Earliness (2 years)
 High yielding 2.5 t/year
 Bean size: 13 g for 100 beans
 Caffeine content: 3 %
 13 hybrids (distributed as seeds)
 High yielding 1.6 t/year
 Bean size: 14 g for 100 beans

14. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
Since 1984, the hybrid vigour was observed between two
genetic pools (Guinean and Congolese) available in an
important coffee germplasm collection in Côte d’Ivoire
. This vigour was exploited.
Guinean pool
Guinean Congolese pool
Guinea
C B SG2 Source:
Centrafriqan Rep.
Uganda
Genetic diversity
Cameroon
of C. canephora.
(Berthaud, 1986 ;
Côte d’Ivoire
Gabon
Montagnon et
Congo DRC al, 1992 ; Dussert
et al, 1999)
SG1 Angola

15. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
 12 Hybrids (distributed as seeds)
 Earliness (1 year)
 High yielding 3-3.5 t/year
 Bean size: 15 g for 100 beans
 Caffeine content: 2 %
Early and High yielding variety (Source: CNRA)

16. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
2. Cultural techniques
N fertilizer such as Urea at 100 kg N/ha gave a
yield increase of 40% more than the control. To
minimize the cost of Urea application, legume
trees were intercropped with coffee trees.
9,80 a
10
8,56 b
7,93 b
9
Good effects
8 on coffee yield
Production (T cmd/ha)
7
5,60 c 30 % more than
6 the control
5
4
3
2
1
Témoin Gliricidia Albizzia Urée

17. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
 Legume trees contribute to coffee productivity
and soil improvement,
 Legume trees improve quality and nutritional
value of the beans by increasing total
acidity, proteins, potassium and sugars
content.

18. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
 In small size coffee plantations food crops can
be associated for intercropping during the first
two years after planting.
 In the framework of diversification coffee can
be associated with rubber.
Coffee trees
intercropped
with Ruber trees

19. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
3. Sensorial quality
Introduction of « terroirs » concept in coffee
sector in Côte d’Ivoire through a pilot project
financed and sponsored by CFC, ICO, IACO and
CNRA in 2005.
Linking the environment with ROBUSTA bean
and liquor qualities is:
an answer for quality management, traceability
and improvement of coffee farmer’s income.

20. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
The “Terroirs” concept consist of identifying pedology , type of soils and
climate of different regions.
Cup tasting
4
1
3
5 2
*

21. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
Identification of coffee liquor from different geographical areas
Intensité odeur
3,000
préference qualité aromatique
2,500
2,000
fermenté corps
1,500
1,000
divo
0,500
brûlé acidité aboisso
0,000 abengourou
Man
terreux amertume
vert astringence
apre fruité

22. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
Also to diferentiate Terroirs according to the chemical contents of coffee
beans and soils analyses

23. Presentation of terroirs
Terroir 4
Results of the Pilot Project
• Good aromatic quality
• Good taste
Lacs
Terroir 3
1
• Rioted
• Bitter body
Terroir 1
• Green and astringent taste
• Bitter body
Moyen Comoé
Terroir 2
• Slighty acid
• Good aromatic quality
• Fruity taste

24. Research and Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire
Concept of terroirs, Coffee tasting, effective
means of:
 Training farmers for good post harvest
practices,
 Collecting coffee, packaging and labelling by
origin,
 Directing Robusta coffees to specific niche
markets.

25. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
Technology transfer requires the following:
 Institutional framework: Research, Development
and organizing farmers,
 Availability of research output: improved variety
and coffee agronomic practices,
 Well trained and organized extension services
providers and efficient transmission mechanisms,
 Farmers well organized and trained in good
agricultural practices.

26. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
1. From 1960 to 1994:
Extension services were provided by a state own
company known as SATMACI, in charge of
organizing farmers, the provision of plant
materials and advices to farmers,
Availing technologies to farmers with specific
approach by officers that mastered the various
topics of extension services,
Other services were provided to farmers:
agricultural input subsidies, support of local
authorities.

27. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
2. From 1994: Creation of ANADER,
Diffusion of technologies through participative
approach with research and farmers’ organization,
Objective = reaching the maximum of producers,
Strategy:
 Associating farmers to the choice of innovation;
 implicating them in identifying their constraints,

28. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
2. From 1994 (contd):
 Suggesting solutions to address these
constraints by the research, or elaborating
topics on these constraints,
 Strengthening producers’ building capacity
through training and visit of contact groups on
demonstration farms,
 Elaboration of technical itinerary to support the
transference of research results,
Results: Farmers capcity is still limited to adopt
and implement the good practices.

29. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
3. Farmer Field School :
Experience successfully carried out from 2003
through the STCP pilot project on cocoa farms:
fight against insects and
diseases, rehabilitation, quality improvement
and fertilization.
This approach has not yet been used in the
diffusion of technologies of coffee farming.
 Participative approach in the search for
solutions to the challenges of farmers,

30. Technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
 The use of Facilitators among farmers trained
to takeover the role of agricultural advisers,
 Permanent exchange between
farmers, evaluation of activities,
 Progressive development of extension
services within the farmer’s organizations,
This mechanism can give good results in
coffee technology transfer to achieve adoption
of recommended practices.

31. CONCLUSION
Although its exports represent less than 2% of
world exports compared to 5% recorded in the
1980s, Robusta coffee continues to be an
important economical and social factor in Côte
d’Ivoire.
Moreover, some capacities already available can
revive the coffee sector:
 Strong scientific coffee institution for improving
productivity and quality, increasing value chain of
coffee from Côte d’Ivoire through terroirs concept

32. CONCLUSION
 Extension system for improving and
strengthening the mechanisms of technology
transfer,
 National coffee development plan including:
- facilitating input supply, incentives to farmers
and credit services,
- the market price,
- and strategies for local processing and
increasing domestic consumption.

33. Innovation and technology transfer in Côte d’Ivoire
THANKS to the Authority of
Robusta Coffee in Brazil
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION