Entry: Bill Guyton
Last Wednesday, we held our twice yearly World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Washington, DC. Attendance was at record levels, with nearly 200 individuals from government, civil society, the chocolate industry and cocoa producing countries coming together. I was particularly pleased to have so many representatives from West African countries: their input is vital.
We celebrated achievements, and shared best practices. We talked candidly about the challenges we face in helping cocoa farmers, their families and communities.
There was an interesting discussion regarding the overall objectives of WCF. Some in the audience expressed a concern that improved cocoa productivity could lead to imbalances of supply and demand. All of the WCF programs stress "intensification" and "diversification" of farming so that farmers will be more profitable farms and also alternative sources of on-farm income. Our partners, including IITA, have researched this extensively. We have seen that farmers participating in our programs report income improvements of up to 60 percent.
We'll post presentations on this site, as soon as possible.
Yet the WCF Meeting was not the only news from last week. We announced a new project, "Healthy Communities," that will help 150,000 family farmers in West Africa. The effort, a continuation of the highly successful Sustainable Tree Crops Program, will train farmers on improved productivity, integrated pest management, HIV/AIDS awareness and safe, responsible labor practices. It's a major step forward, one that builds upon a proven approach, with great partners like USAID, IITA and West African governments.
I'm off to Costa Rica now, for a workshop on farmer productivity issues. Will send news shortly.