Breaking open the black box: the socioeconomic factors explaining adoption or rejection of
innovations in agroforestry
George Curry, Steven Nake, Gina Koczberski, Sylvain Rafflegeau, Joachim Lummani, Emmanuel Germis, Robert Nailina & Esley
Peter
COCOA BOARD OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
CASE STUDY 1: The 1 ha oil palm replant amongst smallholder settlers in Papua New Guinea
the 1 ha replant option
COCOA BOARD OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Potou
Ulamona
Navo Lolobau Is
KIMBE BAY
(source: adapted from The Nature Conservancy, Kimbe)
Nucleus estate Industrial plantation
Smallholdings
Oil palm development scheme in the 70’s
Oil palm smallholders 1 farm: 6 ha
0.07 ha 2 ha
oil palm
2 ha
oil palm
2 ha oil palm
Several houses, betelnut, coconuts and fruit trees.
• Technical innovation
• Social innovation
Land available per block in 2 ha replant area for gardening
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 0
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
No sharing + 0.07 Year
Hectares
Replant
Replant Replant
Closed canopy Closed
canopy Closed
canopy
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
No sharing Two blocks sharing
Year
Hectares
Replant
Closed canopy
Advantages of 1 ha replant option
Replant Replant
Closed canopy
Closed canopy
Easier loan repayments
Ratio of palms in production to replanted seedlings
Mature Immature
1 ha replant option 2 ha replant option
: : :
9
Additional financial, productivity & social gains (1 ha replant option)
Additional financial, productivity & social gains (1 ha replant option)
• Greater utilisation of available labour on the block (women & older men)
• Lower labour demands for 1 ha replant
– Better maintenance of seedlings
Institutional context (1 ha replant) Institutional context (1 ha replant)
• Higher productivity and yields because of:
– higher proportion of palms in production – Better utilisation of potential labour
– Reduced level of non-performing loans &
faster debt recovery
– Timelier introduction of new planting material
– Fewer abandoned tall palms -fewer refuges for pests & diseases
– RSPO certification
Case Study 2: The low uptake of Cocoa Pod Borer control
methods
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016 -
5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000
Cocoa Production East New Britain
Tonnes
CPB first detected
1. Inability to act on extension advice
2. The high labour demands required to control Cocoa
Pod Borer
3. Reluctance to adopt ‘modern’
farming
methods
Survey of 98 blocks in (Dec 2004-Jan 2005)
