Coconut

Coconut is primarily grown in the coastal subtropical zones of Asia and Oceania, its region of origin, on small family farms. The nuts, which are available all year round, are consumed in the region in the form of coconut milk. They are also used to produce copra and its by-product, copra oil. Some 10 million smallholders worldwide rely on the coconut value chain for a living, but it faces a range of issues: copra's reduced competitiveness, competition from palm kernel oil, and the development of lethal diseases that can wipe out coconut plantations within a few years. CIRAD is thus working to support the value chain's development.

Books and documents

Huiles végétales : enjeux, marchés et controverses, Alain Rival (coord.), in : Le Déméter 2018, 2017, p. 9-182
Sustainable development and tropical agri-chains, Estelle Biénabe, Alain Rival, Denis Loeillet (ed.), Springer, 2017
Economics and ecology of diversification: The case of tropical tree crops, François Ruf, Götz Schroth (ed.), Springer, 2015
Une histoire des plantes coloniales, du cacao à la vanille, Serge Volper, Quæ, 2011
Association du cacaoyer avec le palmier ou le cocotier, Raymond Bourgoing, Hervé Todem, CIRAD-IRAD, 2011

Journal

OCL, Oilseeds and fats, crops and lipids
Bimonthly scientific journal on oil and fat production and use. Published by Terres Inovia, CIRAD, French Federation of Oils and Fats, ITERG, Terres Univia and SFEL.

Useful links

COGENT (International Coconut Genetic Resources Network), hosted by Bioversity International
APCC (Asian Pacific Coconut Community)
CNRA (Centre national de recherche agronomique, Ivory Coast)
EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Brazil), currently collaborating with CIRAD
CRI-CATAS (Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, China)