My first week in CIAT started with a meeting to discuss aspects of my project with those who are currently involved with cocoa research in Indonesia. It was interesting to see how my research will fit in with other ongoing or completed studies within CIAT. There are other research projects looking at cocoa in Indonesia at regional scales. For my project I will be working to produce a national level assessment of carbon stocks and carbon footprint of cocoa, bringing together all this regional data.
Now is a good time to offer a comment on climate change impacts on cocoa in Indonesia. Over the next century, South East Asia is predicted to experience increased temperatures, increased variability and intensity of rainfall in particular at higher altitudes, and increased risks of high intensity and frequent extreme weather events such as cyclones and droughts (IPCC, 2014). Climate change is already having an impact on cocoa crop yields in Indonesia (Witjaksono, 2016). Continue reading “Climate change projections for cocoa growing regions”