Das Projekt "Participatory technology development to manage cocoa pests and diseases in smallholder cocoa plantations in souther Cameroon" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Department für Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften, Abteilung Agrarentomologie durchgeführt. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the most important export crop and main source of foreign exchange in Cameroon. 400 000 households with poor resources to improve or expand their farms dominate the cocoa industry. Mirids (Salhbergella singularis Hagh.) is the most important pest causing 30 to 40 percent annual loss and tree death in severe cases. Most of the recommendations extended to cocoa farmers on the control of mirids have become inadequate and unsustainable because they have developed resistance to all pesticides used by farmers. The environmental concern, demand of consumers and regulatory authorities of cocoa free of pesticide residues combine to decrease production levels. Projections are made on integrated crop management (ICM) practices that will minimize the use of environmental hazardous pesticides, and sound socio-economic considerations that could promote sustainable cocoa production. At present, research on integrated management of mirids of cacao, although engaged in Cameroon, accounts variable degree of results. Some innovating research activities let predict, in theory, an improvement of control measures against mirids in the future, but with limited application. Consequently, the solution lies in an integrated approach to the management of cocoa agroforests through easy recommendations adapted to each locality. Such mode of action must be based on a total knowledge of the pest concerned and the agroecosystems in which they prevail.