Agroforestry and enhanced rock weathering: A dual strategy for sustainable cacao

作者：Isabella L. Steeley, Edson S. França, Dimitar Z. Epihov, Noah J. Planavsky, David J. Beerling · 发表于：Plants People Planet · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/ppp3.70097 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy

Societal Impact Statement Cacao production is both economically vital and environmentally intensive, presenting a major sustainability challenge as a crop largely cultivated by smallholder farmers in climate‐vulnerable regions. This review synthesises evidence that integrating agroforestry with enhanced rock weathering (EW) may significantly reduce emissions from cacao production. Our projections indicate that applying EW to 10% of the cocoa harvest area gives a notably high mitigation potential. Although these findings suggest EW could substantially offset emissions, our review emphasises the urgent need for rigorous field trials to validate projections and explore possible synergies or unintended consequences. The integration of EW and agroforestry could offer a scalable solution to align cacao production with global climate and sustainability goals while supporting long‐term agricultural resilience. Summary As one of the most emission‐intensive foods, chocolate presents a significant challenge in meeting consumer demand and sustainability goals. Focusing on carbon sequestration and climate resilience, this review explores the potential of agroforestry and enhanced rock weathering (EW) as a dual strategy towards climate‐positive cacao. Here, we describe how agroforestry systems, particularly multi‐strata systems such as cabrucas, can enhance carbon sequestration, tolerance to global climate change and ecosystem services. We analyse the mechanisms by which EW can augment the...