Richard Asare (Ph.D)

Cocoa Scientist/Lead Scientist for R4D in Cocoa (IITA)
International Institute for Tropical Agriculture
Program Coordinator

Richard Asare (Ph.D). is the lead scientist for cocoa research for development activities in IITA. He is also responsible for coordinating research activities under the CocoaSoils program in West and Central Africa. He is also the coordinator for the CGIAR’s program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security that looks at Mainstreaming climate smart agriculture in cocoa systems. His current research involves looking at the relationship between climate variables and shade trees on cocoa yields in Ghana. His in-depth knowledge on integrated tree crops systems coupled with his practical field experience in tree management on farmlands strengthens his expertise with regards to sustainable agricultural land-use practice. Richard has over 17 years of work experience in research and development and has developed a comprehensive framework that packages tree diversification options in cocoa farms in a way that improves, encourages and promotes local knowledge per environmental conditions, farmer tree species preferences, market demands, and improved planting material availability. He is also involved in the supervision of PhD and MSc students working on cocoa systems in West Africa.