Success Story: Grafting with Luis Miguel
Mr. Cecilio Mendoza is a cocoa farmer from the community of La Mocora in Manabí where he lives with his wife and their two nephews.
Mr. Mendoza is the leader of his community and is also a teacher at the local school. As a child, he suffered from a rare illness that resulted in paralysis of his legs.
Despite the challenges this presents, he remains actively involved with the management of his farm with the help of his 10 year old donkey, Luis Miguel.
In January 2006, Mr. Mendoza enrolled in the SUCCESS Alliance Farmer Field School in his area to learn improved cocoa production techniques. Like many farms in his area, Mr. Mendoza’s farm includes many older trees which produce fewer cocoa pods than they once did.
The rehabilitation of older, less productive cocoa trees is a major component of the SUCCESS Alliance Ecuador Program. Through the program, Mr. Mendoza learned to practice side grafting on his older trees.
Grafting young budwood onto the existing tree rejuvenates the tree and allows for increased pod production. Mr. Mendoza and his family are pleased with the results of the side grafting. They are also practicing the pruning techniques that he learned through the Farmer Field School.
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