Lessons in:

Good Agricultural Practices for Cocoa Farmers

Training Manual

Improve your cocoa quality and production

Agro-Up Liberia | www.agro-upliberia.com | +231-775-217-858

1
 Why Use Good Agricultural Practices?
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• GAP are the best • You will make more
farming practices to money through more
produce the most cocoa and higher
volume, and highest quality cocoa grown
quality cocoa for the on your farm
long-term health of • You can do this
your farm without having to buy
expensive chemicals!
• Follow the • You should be doing
instructions laid out in GAP on your cocoa
this manual farm all year long!
• Ask your local • We will explain how in
cooperative, tree crop this training manual!
officer, lead farmer or
VC for advice!
• Attend local trainings!

CALENDAR
Each lesson in this book
Jan Feb Mar Apr
has a calendar. Months
shaded GREEN are when May Jun Jul Aug
the best practices should
be done Sep Oct Nov Dec

2
 Lesson # 1 – Underbrushing
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Keeping your farm • You will have more
clean by cutting grass, cocoa! Grass and
weeds, and over- weeds steal water and
growth from under the rich soil from the
the cocoa tree and on cocoa trees
the rest of the cocoa • Weeds encourage
farm pests and black pod
disease!
• Slash the grass and • Before the harvest
weeds with a cutlass • Start of the dry
• Be careful not to season
damage the cocoa • Before pruning
trees! • When weeds are
• DO NOT slash all the getting tall
way to the dirt, leave
some grass or rain will
spoil the soil
CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

3
 Lesson # 2 – Pruning Cocoa Trees
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Cutting off branches • You control the • Cut low hanging • Heavy pruning (large
that are dying or are amount of light branches branches) is done in
making the tree reaching the cocoa • Cut branches within the dry season
produce less cocoa; • It lets air move 60cm from jorquette • Maintenance pruning
cutting the number of through the trees to • Cut out shiny new (Proper shade, dead
unnecessary stop back pod disease branches (chupons) branches, and
branches. • It makes trees • Tree should cut to be chupons) is done all
produce more cocoa 3.5 meters tall year long
Secateur CALENDAR
(Pruning
shears) Jan Feb Mar Apr
Cutlass
May Jun Jul Aug

Pruning Saw Sep Oct Nov Dec

4
 Lesson # 3 – Shade Management
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Making sure there is • The proper light • There should be 50% • Shade management
the right amount of reduces the amount light and 50% shade is part of
light going to the of black pod disease • Prune trees and maintenance
cocoa tree • Too much light remove unwanted pruning and should
encourages pests trees be done all year long
• Heavy shade means • There should be 7
low yields and black shade trees per acre
pods
CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

5
 Lesson # 4 – Black Pod Disease Control
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Removing black pods • Black pods kill your • Proper shade • You must always be
from the farm as soon as cocoa production management looking for black pods
you can • Black pod spreads • Proper pruning • Remove black pods as
• Black pods come from quickly and can spoil the • Undebrushing is very soon as you see them!
wetness, rain, and heavy entire farm important • Black pods spread
shade on the farm, and • If you remove black pods • Remove black pods in a quickly to healthy pods,
make cocoa pods black you will have a better basket as soon as you so you must always be
and ugly yield see them on your farm looking!
• Bury them together at
least 3 meters from the
cocoa farm CALENDAR

• DO NOT mix black pods Jan Feb Mar Apr

with healthy pods!!
May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

6
 Lesson # 5 – Moss and Mistletoe
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Moss: Small green • Moss reduces the
plants that can grow on amount of cocoa that a
the cocoa trees tree produces
• Mistletoe: Are plants • Moss stops flowers
that grow on cocoa trees growing which means
and depend on them to less pods
live, it has red flowers • Mistletoe means less
and berries cocoa from your tree
and weaker trees
• Remove moss by • Moss should be
brushing it off with a removed whenever you
hard-bristled broom see it on your farm
• Use a cutlass or pruning • Mistletoe should be
saw to cut out mistletoe removed in the
flowering season when
you can see it on the
plants

CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

7
 BONUS LESSON – Other Cocoa Pests
Name of Pest What is it?
Cocoa Swollen Shoot A virus that causes shoots to
Disease swell, and causes white
patches on veins of leaves
Which’s Broom A fungus that develops in wet
places, it has a black and white
colour on cocoa pods
Thread Disease A fungus that can be on the
stem and leaves of the cocoa
tree and is green
Stem Borers Caterpillars which bore into the
stem of the trees
Pod-Borers Insects that suck the sugar out
of the cocoa pods
Mirids Insects that suck the sugar out
of cocoa pods and leave black
spots behind
Red Ants Ants that are red in colour.
They fight other pests on the
farm
Why is it bad?
It can make branches too big
and eventually can kill the tree
Attacks the trees and cocoa
pods
It causes leaves of the cocoa
tree to turn white and to die
They steal nutrients from the
cocoa and make trees weak
They make holes in cocoa pods
and infect the beans
Affected pods are hollow and
have no weight, and the beans
are no good
Red ands are GOOD! They
should be encouraged on the
farm! 8
How to treat it Picture:
Cut off affected shoots. Remove
affected bark that looks old and
dry. Cut down dead trees.
Shade management and
underbrushing. If seen remove and
bury in a pit 3m from the farm
Use a stiff broom to scrape it from
the tree
Shade management: Stem borers
hate the heat and sun will kill them
Shade management
Wrap the affected pods in plastic
to kill them
Shade management with enough
sunlight
Encourage red ants to fight other
pests.
 COCOA HARVEST TIMELINE:

• Harvest cocoa pods Day 7 • Begin cocoa Day 21

as soon as they are fermentation
fully ripe (yellow) • Break the cocoa • Dry the cocoa
• Ferment cocoa
pods and remove beans until they
beans for 7 days
the beans make a cracking
• Remove after a sound when
maximum 7 days squeezed in the
Day 1 Day 14 hand

Harvest Breaking Fermentation Drying

Day 1 Day 7 Day 7 - 14 Day 14 – 21
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 Lesson # 6 – Cocoa Harvest
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Harvesting cocoa is the • Harvesting at the right
removal of cocoa pods time improves the
from the cocoa trees quality of your cocoa
once the cocoa pods are • Harvesting unripe pods
ripe gives bad fermentation
• Harvesting overripe
pods is bad because
seeds start to grow
• Only harvest pods that • Harvest frequently
are completely bright during the cocoa season,
yellow as pods become ripe
• Make a clean cut with a (yellow!)
cutlass or knife to
remove the pods, be
careful not to damage
flowers
• DO NOT hand-pull pods

CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

10
 Lesson # 7 – Breaking the Pods
What is It? Why do it?
• Breaking the pods is • Breaking pods in the
the act of breaking right way at the right
open the cocoa pods so time means you will
you can remove the have good quality
cocoa beans cocoa
• You will get more
money for good quality
cocoa
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How do you do it? When do you do it?
• Break pods with a stick, • Pods should be broken
stone, or a blunt object open no later than 7
• Do not break open pods days after harvesting
with a cutlass or knife as it
• DO NOT break cocoa
will damage the beans
pods when it is raining
• Remove beans by hand
• Discard pods across the
farm, they are good
fertilizer and will help
trees grow
CALENDAR
Jan Feb Mar Apr
May Jun Jul Aug
Sep Oct Nov Dec
 Lesson # 8 – Cocoa Fermentation
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Fermentation is helping
the cocoa to be heated
so that it kills the inner
part of the seed
• Good fermentation
makes good quality
cocoa
• Fermenting cocoa stops
beans from germinating
• Well-fermented cocoa
gets a better price!
• Fermented cocoa
produces a fine flavour
• Fermentation makes
good brown beans
• There are three methods • It should be done
• Box Method immediately after
• Basket Method breaking the pods
• Heap Method • Fermentation is finished
after 7 days
• They are described on
the next page

CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

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 BONUS LESSON – Fermentation Methods
Box Method (BEST)
1.Make 2 boxes out of wood, You don’t need
a top for the box, but it should be with an
open top and holes in the bottom
2.Make sure the box is on a table
3.Put the beans inside the box and fill it to the
top – don’t leave any space
4.Cover the top of the beans with banana
leaves or fan leaves
5.After 2 days, mix the beans and cover again
with banana leaves. When mixing, do it fast
to keep the heat inside.
o Use two boxes to help with the mixing.
o Lift the box with the beans up and place
an empty box under, with fresh banana
leaves all around it
o When mixing, open the side of the box
with the cocoa beans inside
o Move the cocoa from one box to another
and mix while you’re doing it
6.After another 2 days pass, mix the beans
and cover with banana leaves
7.Fermentation is finished after 7 days
Basket Method (SECOND BEST)
1.Find a basket and put banana leaves around
and inside it
2.Put the basket up high (on a table) to let the
water from the cocoa come out
3.Put cocoa beans in the basket
4.Cover the basket with banana leaves to
keep the heat inside
5.After 2 days, mix the beans and cover again
with banana leaves. When mixing, do it fast
to keep the heat inside.
6.After another 2 days pass, mix the beans
and cover against with banana leaves
7.Fermentation is finished after 7 days
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Heap Method (LEAST RECOMMENDED)
1.Spread salt on the floor to repel ants
2.Arrange pieces of wood on the floor
covered with banana leaves.
3.Heap the wet beans on into a pile 60-90cm
high.
4.Cover the heap with banana leaves to retain
the heat, holding them down with pieces of
wood.
5.Use a wooden spade to mix the cocoa after
2 days
6.Mix again after another 2 days
7.Mixing should be done quickly to minimize
heat loss
8. Fermentation is complete after 7 days.
 Lesson # 9 – Cocoa Drying
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Heating of the cocoa • To make sure mould
beans under the sun to get doesn’t grow on the cocoa
rid of moisture in the beans
beans • To keep the beans looking
brown
• To get a better price for
your cocoa
• Spread the beans out
• Use a solar dryer or drying
table (floor only if you
need to)
• Turn the beans every 2
hours
• Do not dry near diesel,
gasoline, or smelly objects
• Do not dry on roofing zinc!
• Immediately after
fermenting the cocoa
beans is finished
• Cocoa should be dried for
7-10 days or when the
cocoa makes a cracking
sound in your hand when
squeezed

CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

14
 Lesson # 9 – Drying in a Solar Dryer
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Solar Dryers are a • It means less time
structure covered in needed to dry cocoa
plastic with raised • Keeps the beans safe
tables inside for from rain
drying cocoa • Fast drying prevents
mould
• Keeps the attractive
brown colour
• Speak to your village • Immediately after
coordinator or fermenting the cocoa
cooperative beans is finished
representative about
building a solar dryer
• Lay out the beans
• They will be dry in 3-4
days

CALENDAR
Solar dryers can also
Jan Feb Mar Apr
be used for drying
fruit and vegetables May Jun Jul Aug
when not drying
cocoa Sep Oct Nov Dec

15
 Lesson # 10 – Basic Cocoa Grading
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• The process of making • You get a better price
sure that you are for higher quality cocoa
producing cocoa beans • You will get a penalty on
of high quality your cocoa price if you
have too many defects
• Observe the cocoa as it • Cocoa should be graded
is being dried and during and after
fermented fermentation, during
• Cut some cocoa beans drying, and before the
open and consult the cocoa is sold
picture

• Remove:
• Foreign Matter
• Flat Beans
CALENDAR
• Slaty Beans
• Insect-Damaged Beans
Jan Feb Mar Apr
• Mouldy Beans
• Germinated Beans
May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

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 BONUS LESSON – Cocoa Grading
GRADE 1
Produce Only
Grade 1 Cocoa!

GRADE 2

GRADE 3 (Subgrade)

Bean Count Moisture Mold

100 7% 1%

Bean Count Moisture Mold

105 8% 6%
Bean Count Moisture Mold
120 8% 15%
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 Lesson # 11 – Cocoa Storage
What is It? Why do it? How do you do it? When do you do it?

• Placement of well- • There will be less mould
fermented, dried, and • Less risk of defects
graded cocoa in a safe, • Less insect damage
dry and clean location • The beans will remain
high-quality
awaiting transport to
• Cocoa is sensitive and
the warehouse
absorbs odors and
chemicals; proper storage
avoids this
• Store in clean new jute
bags or clean new
collection bags
• Place cocoa in stacks on
wood, NOT on the ground
• DO NOT store near grain
that may be infested
• Lock the room from theft!
• Store the cocoa after
proper drying and grading!
• Cocoa should be stored at
night as it is being dried
• Well-dried cocoa can be
stored for several months
if the cocoa store is set up
properly

CALENDAR

Jan Feb Mar Apr

May Jun Jul Aug

Sep Oct Nov Dec

18
 Women in Cocoa
“Women trained in cocoa farming increases the
quantity and quality of cocoa, meaning more money
from cocoa sales and better welfare at home”

• Women are important in cocoa farming!

• Men and women are included in GAP training
equally. GAP is for everyone.
• GAP is for all farmers: women and men both need
to know GAP
• Women will always be included in training
• Women are leaders and teachers

Women trained in GAP increases quantity and quality

of cocoa, meaning more money from cocoa sales and
better welfare at home!
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 Business Case for GAP

If you do GAP you will make more money!

In the first year of using GAP on your farm you will produce 40% more cocoa.

In the second year you will produce even more!

40% more cocoa means that if you are producing 70kg per acre now, if you use gap you will produce 100kg per acre!

This means you will make at least 8,000 more LD per acre!

Higher quality cocoa also makes you more money for you and your family

“8,000 more LD per acre for cocoa farmers households from 40% more cocoa
production and quality because of GAP training for both men and women!”
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