A survey was conducted among 280 cocoa farmers from 2001-2003, in six main cocoagrowing regions of Côte d'Ivoire (Abengourou, Aboisso, Divo, Gagnoa, Daloa and Soubré). The survey sought to determine farmers' knowledge, preferences, selection and the use of cacao planting material. Farmers were able to identify the presence of outstanding individual trees on their holdings as high-yielding, with tolerance to cocoa mirids (identified by farmers as with low incidence on pods) and to Phytophthora pod rot (Ppr), and were willing to share their material with breeders. Outstanding trees were collected for use in future breeding activities. Farms in Côte d'Ivoire contain a significant level of non-selected materials, despite the availability of improved varieties. Seventy-one percent of the farmers surveyed used non-selected materials from their best performing trees as open pollinated seedlings. Twenty-three percent of farms have been established using selected plant material and 6 % combined selected and non-selected plant materials. Old farms (over 30 years) were most commonly found in East and Middle West regions and less commonly in the South. The main disease in the Abengourou region was black pod reported in 65 % of the farms surveyed. The most common pest was mirids. However, the stem-borer is spreading from east to west. The farmers' own preference was for heavy-bearing trees, large beans and high number of beans per pod. They appreciated the current improved varieties for their early production and lower incidence of Ppr.