With a view to improving the excellent cocoa value chain in the Amazon region, Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, Kaoka and Conservation International are working to implement sustainable production to boost income for producers and to protect the forest. The FFEM supports the consortium’s collaboration, which brings together private-sector business, NGOs and a research body, to promote an innovative and integrated approach to the region.
Context
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru account for 10% of global cocoa production, with expertise being passed down through generations of the region’s indigenous populations. It also provides a significant source of income, particularly for rural populations, owing largely to the increase in production brought about by high demand from international markets over recent years. However, the expansion of agricultural land particularly threatens forest ecosystems in the three countries.
In light of this, the project sponsors aim to encourage sustainable cocoa cultivation in agroforestry through a profitable economic model integrated into a functional value chain, so avoiding further deforestation. The FFEM is working alongside these stakeholders as they look to combine ecosystem preservation with local development.
Description
The project has four components:
- Developing an integrated operating vision, using cocoa agroforestry systems to address production-related issues such as soil restoration and landscape conservation.
- Bolstering infrastructure and the capabilities of producers and their organisations throughout the cocoa value chain, from production to final sale.
- Creating and deploying instruments for impact analysis and monitoring productive landscapes in the project’s area of influence, with the involvement of communities
- Capitalising on the experiences and lessons learned in terms of sustainable agricultural practices and the conservation of biodiversity and forest ecosystems.
Impacts
- Training in post-harvest processes for employees of three producer organisations, and reinforcing the infrastructure for post-harvest processing
- Organic or fair trade certification of 445 hectares, and 460 hectares of new agroforestry plantations
- Higher income for producers with their target market clearly defined by the organisations
- Improving the physico-chemical health of soils
- Developing suitable methodologies, systematic and shared, for soil recovery
- Managing by the organisations of land usage and deforestation monitoring
- Production of technical and scientific and/or communication materials
Exemplary and innovative characteristic
Supported by the FFEM, this project provides an innovative demonstration of the value and effectiveness of integrated solutions at regional level, combining the sustainable value chain with ecosystem conservation to protect forests and soils.
In addition, by relying on the sharing of expertise and skills at regional level through a public-private partnership, this initiative is exemplary: helping to disseminate and harness undervalued existing expertise, and capitalise on relevant experiences.
A further particularly innovative development at this scale is the management by local organisations of their own system for controlling and monitoring deforestation, using geographic information systems (GIS) and public tools.
01/01/2021
Project start date
31/01/2026
Estimated project end date
01/12/2020
Project grant date
5 years
Sectors
Colombie, Équateur, Pérou
In progress
Alliance Bioversity-CIAT
French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition (MTES)
Alliance Bioversity-CIAT
Biocacao
Fundación Kaoka
ICRAF
kakao
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