{
  "id": 3498157,
  "title": "‘They will do it legally or illegally’: Interview with James Giahyue on Liberia’s cocoa boom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/they-will-do-it-legally-or-illegally-interview-with-james-giahyue-on",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T11:05:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/they-will-do-it-legally-or-illegally-interview-with-james-giahyue-on-liberias-cocoa-boom/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2024, the price of cacao on global markets surged dramatically, nearly quintupling from its level a year prior. This sharp increase, coupled with a land shortage in Côte d'Ivoire, the world's leading producer, has spurred a surge in the establishment of new cocoa plantations in Liberia's southeastern forests. These forests, home to some of West Africa's last extensive rainforests, are customarily owned by local communities. Many residents of these communities have been enticed by the prospect of substantial financial gains from the cacao market. Handshake agreements between these communities and migrants from neighboring Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso are now fueling a wave of deforestation. As explained by Liberian journalist James Giahyue, \"The people of the southeast, where you have a lot of forests, have realized or seen that cocoa can give them more money than they get from other traditional things like charcoal burning and subsistence farming. It’s like a new phenomenon, and a new opportunity.\" Giahyue, who serves as the editor-in-chief of news outlet The DayLight, has extensively covered environmental issues in Liberia. He was a key member of a Mongabay reporting team that released an investigation into deforestation in the country the previous July. Giahyue spoke with Ashoka Mukpo from his base in Monrovia for this interview, which has been lightly edited for clarity.",
  "summary": "In 2024, the price of cacao on world markets spiked dramatically, nearly quintupling from what it had been a year earlier. Prices have since dropped, but along with a land crunch in Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s top producer of the commodity, the prospect of high financial rewards have helped to drive a rapid expansion of […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Mongabay",
        "title": "EU’s deforestation rule could derail Liberia’s cocoa trade",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/eus-deforestation-rule-could-derail-liberias-cocoa-trade",
        "published": "2026-08-25T15:12:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}