Entry: Bill Guyton, World Cocoa Foundation

Last week, I was in Liberia visiting our in-country partners; the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), CARI, ACDI/VOCA, Socodevi and others. I was accompanied by four colleagues from the chocolate and cocoa industry. The objectives of our trip were to assess the challenges and opportunities for sustainable cocoa farming; attend the STCP Regional Executive Committee Meeting in Monrovia; and meet with key public and private stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

On our first day in Liberia, we took a three hour drive from Monrovia to visit the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Gbarnga. Reseachers there are working with partners to build capacity for the production of hand pollinated cocoa hybrids and seed gardens. Improved planting material is vital, in order to ensure that cocoa farmers are able to achieve their productivity and farm level incomes.

Afterwards, we drove a few kilometers past the CARI Reseach Center to attend an STCP "farmer field school" (FFS) where local facilitators were being trained in Gbaota and Naii. I took some photographs of the training session which focused on farm-level fermentation that day. Fermenting cocoa, using local materials, adds value to the crop and improves its quality.

Cocoa farmers shared with us some of their major obstacles after the training session. Among the most common challenges were the lack of good planting material and the need for improved, more transparent marketing systems. We observed that many of the trees on farms are aging, and low yielding.

It is clear that developing a sustainable cocoa sector will take time and will need the active engagement of all stakeholders; Liberian government, development organizations, the private sector and researchers. Through the Sustainable Tree Crops Program, we at the World Cocoa Foundation are pleased to work in partnership with others, to help make this happen.

My personal thanks to the Liberian government representatives, our local partners and the cocoa farmers we met with during the trip.