A dramatic spike in the price of cocoa that roiled commodity traders and candy makers is showing signs of easing, and the top industry group is even predicting a small global surplus, after years of shortages.

Chocolate lovers around the world would be forgiven for breathing a tentative sigh of relief. But on the ground in West Africa, among the thousands of smallholder farmers who supply about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, the reality is far more complicated.

A drive of some 2,500 kilometers last month through key growing areas in Ivory Coast and Ghana revealed visibly dry farms with flowers withering on trees, cropland pocked with illegal mines and producers losing a battle with disease-riddled cocoa plants — all signs the road to recovery will be a tough one.