{{menu_nowledge_desc}}.

CIFOR–ICRAF publishes over 750 publications every year on agroforestry, forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy and much more – in multiple languages.

CIFOR–ICRAF addresses local challenges and opportunities while providing solutions to global problems for forests, landscapes, people and the planet.

We deliver actionable evidence and solutions to transform how land is used and how food is produced: conserving and restoring ecosystems, responding to the global climate, malnutrition, biodiversity and desertification crises. In short, improving people’s lives.

Commodity tree crop planting material infrastructures in Africa

Export citation

There are several commodity tree crops cultivated across Africa; this chapter focuses on cashew, coffee, cocoa, oil palm, rubber, tea and shea as major commodity tree crops in Africa. Some of these commodity crops (cashew, cocoa, rubber and tea) were introduced during the colonial era to supply high-quality raw materials for the western world. Planting material of these crops was introduced from other regions to establish large scale plantations (Jain and Priyadarshan 2009). The colonialists also pioneered the selection and improvement of native tree commodities such as coffee and oil palm. Agricultural reforms that came in after independence led to a significant number of African farmers growing these tree crops on a small and medium scale.

Related publications