Importance of Preserved Medicinal Plants in Cocoa Agroforestry Systems for Health Security of Cocoa Producers in West Center, Côte d’Ivoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, the historical cocoa farming expansion has significantly contributed to the forest conversion into agricultural land, resulting in biodiversity loss. Agroforestry systems based on cocoa trees, established following deforestation, contain plant biodiversity that includes medicinal plants. The recent intensification of cocoa production tends to reduce this plant diversity, even as producers continue to rely on traditional medicine. In the context of health crisis and promotion of a global solution like the One health, this study aims to link human health, agricultural practices, and the conservation of medicinal resources. It was conducted in Gonaté region, a major cocoa-producing area in West-central Côte d’Ivoire. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out with 60 producers aged 20 to 80. The data collected concerned the symptoms of diseases encountered during the previous twelve months and the plants used to treat them. Botanical specimens were identified using reference catalogs, and citation frequencies were used to prioritize symptoms of diseases and species. The results revealed fourteen symptoms of diseases, dominated by malaria (86.7%), general tiredness (71.7%), and gastric ulcers (35%). The most frequent pathologies were concentrated in the active age groups [20–40] and [40–60], while persons that had an age up to 60 years presented osteoarticular and anemic symptoms. Twenty-four medicinal species, distributed among 23 genera and 17 families were identified. Vernonia amygdalina, Moringa oleifera, Alchornea cordifolia, and Passiflora foetida were related to the most impactful symptoms of diseases. These results highlight the strategic importance of agroforestry as reservoirs of medicinal plants essential to the health of cocoa producers, and call for sustainable management programs that reconcile productivity, food safety and biodiversity conservation.

Keywords: Agroforestry; Cocoa; Ethnobotany; Phytotherapy; Producer Health.