Cocoa production has increased in Cameroon since the 2000s, supported by policies to enhance productivity, yields, farmer incomes and state revenues. Other policies incentivize zero-deforestation production and forest protection. However cocoa farming practices cause deforestation and degradation. Scientific evidence of practice-policy interactions is lacking. Given this context we identified perceptions, farming practices and their on-ground impacts, policies and initiatives addressing deforestation and cocoa. A practice-based conceptual approach guided 67 interviews, 8 focus group discussions and remote sensing analysis of land cover and ground validation in 557 locations around Ntui. Increasing, small-scale cocoa-driven deforestation, totalling 4599 ha over the past decade was found. Maps show 64 % of observed cocoa farms as forest. Farmers do not perceive themselves as responsible, attributing deforestation to poverty, low yields, land unavailability, migration, population growth, and high land and labour prices. Apart from sustainability certification, farmers were unaware of zero-deforestation initiatives and policies. Policies appear ineffective in halting cocoa-related deforestation or increasing yields, but modestly effective in expanding production. Opportunities to reduce deforestation include yield improvement, information, law enforcement, and land planning. However productivity increases could drive further deforestation. Paradoxically, farmers perceive no trade-offs between livelihoods and forest use, contrary to other value-chain stakeholders. These results lead to recommendations for coherent forest and agricultural policies, pragmatic forest and agroforestry definitions, accurate (agro)forest mapping, and evidence-based reframing of discourses on cocoa, agriculture and forests. Incongruent perceptions, practices and policies challenge implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation.