encouraging sustainable, responsible cocoa growing

Entry: Bill Guyton

Dear readers,

I would like to share with you questions we receive about cocoa sustainability and The World Cocoa Foundation. In a recent email, a reader
asked:

[World Cocoa Foundation] supports cocoa farming families and the
communities in which they live focusing on improving the economic
return from cocoa and ensuring that cocoa is grown responsibly. I am wondering HOW these families are earning more money by still belonging to the free trade market and I am also wondering if pesticides are still used and if so, why not use the shade grown model used by some fair trade producers?

World Cocoa Foundation:

World Cocoa Foundation programs are based on the "farmer field school" (FFS) model, originally developed by the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). During these field schools, farmers learn about grafting, pruning, post-harvest handling, crop diversification, non-chemical pest management practices and many other topics to help them grow cocoa more sustainably. They also learn about social issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention and child labor awareness. Read more about how the programs are helping farmers and personal stories from farmer graduates at http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/difference/africa-ffs.asp and at
http://www.ecandy.com/newsletter.aspx?NewsLetterID=106%20.

A recent impact study in Africa showed that farmers who graduate from the program report a 22-50 percent increase in their incomes through improved yields. They also used fewer pesticides.

Farmer graduates are encouraged to share what they have learned with their neighbors and to strengthen farmer cooperatives.
Training curricula are continually updated to include latest technologies.

The reader's next questions relate to shade grown cocoa and use of pesticides. It is important to note that cocoa is a shade-loving tree.
Most small-scale farmers grow cocoa in association with other tree crops (bananas, coconuts, citrus, cashews)and hardwoods. This is the traditional way that cocoa is grown by small-scale farmers, accounting for over 80 percent of the cocoa grown in the world. During the Farmer Field Schools, participants learn about integrated pest management (IPM) that provides alternatives to pesticide use in controlling fungal and insects on the farm.

Entry: Bill Guyton

Here are some questions I would like to share with you from a recent email:

QUESTION FROM READER: I think it is wonderful that the World Cocoa Foundation has been set up and finally the truth about cocoa production has been revealed. What is Nestle's, Mars' and Hershey's role in your organisation? Is it simply monetary? I've read in the article "Improved Incomes, Labour Practices and Access(...)" that these corporations have funded some interesting initiatives. However, it also seems that these initiatives are corporate-centered rather than community-centered. What role do community members play in the decision making process?

WORLD COCOCA FOUNDATION RESPONSE: We are pleased to report that the World Cocoa Foundation now has 58 chocolate company and trade organization members from Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
WCF is represented by large branded companies, processors, traders, and smaller chocolatiers and others who are dedicated to improving the conditions of small scale cocoa farmers and the environments where they live. A complete listing of our members can be found at:
http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/about/member-companies.asp. Our members provide financial contributions as well as technical expertise and guidance with our partners in West Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

In addition to funding our "core" farmer field school programs, several member companies are funding additional initiatives on education. These efforts are being coordinated with the World Cocoa Foundation. Examples
include:

*The Hershey Company supports the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) in Ghana and Ivory Coast to train 2,000 teachers on improved quality of education for 46, 000 primary and secondary school students.
http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/difference/africa-ifesa.asp

*Mars, Incorporated and the Norwegian Chocolate Producers Association are co-funding the CLASSE (Child Labor Alternatives through Sustainable Systems in Education) program in Ivory Coast to improve basic and agricultural education, with an emphasis on youth mentoring and increased school attendance.
http://winrock.org/fact/facts.asp?CC=5515&bu=9055

*The Blommer Chocolate Company sponsors a program to construct 500 solar dryers for farmers in Ecuador to dry their cocoa crop. These dryers will ensure that farmers are able to complete an essential step in the harvesting process and will receive strong prices for their crop.
http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/difference/americas-sustainable.asp.

In each of these cases, the projects are "community based" involving local farmers and community leaders in decision-making, planning and
implementation. Feedback from farmers is posted on: http://www.ecandy.com/newsletter.aspx?NewsLetterID=203

Hi, I am Robert and work with Bill. Last week I had the opportunity to represent WCF at the 2006 Chocolate Technology Conference “SCHOKO – TECHNIK” organized by ZDS (stands for Central College of the German Confectionery Industry) in Cologne, Germany. The event which takes place every two years had record number of participants and over 350 attendees participated in the symposium where experts discuss the latest information on cocoa and chocolate processing. It is really interesting how science, research and practical technologies combined create new products, new trends and new markets!

Photo: Ulrich W. Schoch (Lindt & Sprüngli), Robert Peck (WCF) and Alain Fredericq (ADM Cocoa)

I particularly enjoyed learning about how the process of fermentation in cocoa beans leads the accumulation of cocoa aroma but also reduces the level of polyphenols. Within polyphenols, flavenoids are a compound of special interest due to their attributes for health support. Another speaker explained how dark chocolates with high levels of cocoa mass (minimum 70%) require a specific production technique and different conching parameters in order to have a refined mixture (basically has to do with the decreased sucrose content). For a complete list of topics please visit the following link.Download file
I would encourage any of you to attend the next ZDS conference, particularly if you need updated technical information on cocoa and chocolate processing.

I was invited to the conference to speak about the challenges and opportunities for cocoa and farmers in Latin America and briefly describe the programs that the chocolate industry has in place to support farmers in the region. If you would like to see the slides that I prepared, please visit the following link (pdf format): http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/info-center/pdf/Presentations/WCF_ZDS_FINAL_11 20 06.pdf

I must admit that I had some time to walk around the city, which at this time of the year is crowded with people visiting the Christmas markets and the beautiful Cathedral. Overall, it was a GREAT trip and unique opportunity for us to share industry’s commitment to cocoa sustainability in Latin America.

Wish you a happy holiday season.

Robert

Dear Readers,

Here is a question we received in a recent email:

QUESTION FROM READER: I read on your website that World Cocoa Foundation is co-funding a "healthy communities" initiative through the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) in West Africa. Can you tell me more about this program and who is sponsoring it?

WORLD COCOCA FOUNDATION RESPONSE: We are pleased to announce that the "Healthy Communities" initiative was launched in October 2006, building on progress achieved by the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) in its pilot phase. The new phase expands the reach to cocoa farm families in West Africa, where 70 percent of the world's cocoa is grown. Over 150,000 cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and Liberia will be reached, over the next five years.

Designed to teach farmers about disease and pest control, crop management and improving farming techniques, farmer field schools have proven highly effective in driving change in cocoa communities. Participating West African farmers, who also marketed their crops collectively, saw their incomes increase by 20 to 55 percent during the program's pilot phase. Farmer Field Schools also raise awareness of responsible labor practices and help ensure that children are not exposed to unsafe working conditions. Additional information on the program can be found on: http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/difference/africa-ffs.asp and
http://www.treecrops.org/.

Program Partners include:
* US Agency for International Development (USAID)
* The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
* SOCODEVI(a Canadian organization, with farmer cooperative
expertise)
* CABI Bioscience UK
* African farmer cooperatives
* African governments and community groups

World Cocoa Foundation members who provided specific financial and technical contributions to this program are:
*Mars, Inc.
*The Hershey Company
*Nestle
*Kraft
*ADM
*Guittard
*Blommer
*OLAM
*Ferrero
*Chocolate Manufacturer's Association of Canada (CMAC)
*Chocolate Manufacturer's Association of USA (CMA)
*International Confectionary Association (ICA)
*Small and medium-sized WCF member companies