AGROSAVIA launches a technical manual to strengthen the sustainability and productivity of cacao in Colombia

• Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria – AGROSAVIA presented a technical manual that offers a comprehensive guide to establishing and managing a cacao agroforestry model, aimed at improving environmental sustainability, productivity, and the resilience of this crop in the face of climate change.

 

Norte de Santander. November 7, 2025. The new Cacao Agroforestry System Manual developed by AGROSAVIA seeks to become a reference tool for producers, researchers, extension technicians, and decision-makers interested in sustainable agroforestry systems.

The document addresses technical aspects, such as varieties, system management, and design; environmental aspects, such as ecosystem services and phytoremediation; and socioeconomic aspects, including costs and the business projection of cacao farms.

This publication is the result of Agreement 2035 – Improving Environmental Sustainability through the Implementation of Technologies within the National Strategy for Cacao Cultivation, signed between AGROSAVIA and the Environmental Fund of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action of Portugal, which acted as the external funder.

Throughout the process, cacao producers from the Catatumbo subregion, in the PDET (Development Programs with a Territorial Approach) municipalities of Convención, Teorama, Tibú, and Sardinata, actively participated in the various stages of the project, contributing their knowledge and experiences.

The manual includes chapters on the introduction and concept of agroforestry systems (AFS), physiological bases of the crop, cacao varieties, associated forest species, applications in bioprospecting and phytoremediation, as well as the impact of climate change on production costs.

The publication can be downloaded for free from AGROSAVIA Editorial through the following link:

https://editorial.agrosavia.co/index.php/publicaciones/catalog/view/469/580/2662-1

With this initiative, AGROSAVIA reaffirms its commitment to applied research, knowledge transfer, and the promotion of more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive productive systems for Colombia's rural areas.