Researchers ran a five-year cacao trial in Bolivia comparing three systems: full-sun monoculture, agroforestry (AF), and dynamic agroforestry (DAF). Monoculture produced the highest yields at 1,300 kg/ha. AF yielded 780 kg/ha, and DAF yielded 640 kg/ha.
Canopy cover explained these differences. AF maintained 25–35% cover during the rainy season, while DAF maintained 40–60%. The relationship between canopy cover and both flowering and yield was exponential, not linear. This means small reductions in cover produced larger yield gains in systems with already-low shade.
AF’s lower canopy cover boosted flowering more than DAF’s did. Yet this didn’t consistently translate into higher yields, pointing to the added importance of the later ripening pruning event for DAF. Flowering and ripening timing followed seasonal rainfall patterns and stayed consistent across all three systems, driven mainly by climate and genetics rather than cropping system itself. Overall shade levels, not timing, determined how much flowering occurred.
