Sustainable Cocoa Farming
Cocoa is grown by millions of hardworking families worldwide. For many of these farmers, cocoa farming is challenging. Crop loss from disease and pests, limited access to recent production techniques and declining yields are just some of the issues impacting farmers.
These issues may prevent cocoa farmers from achieving the full potential of their farms and limit family incomes.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) supports programs to make cocoa farming a sustainable, successful way of life for these farming families. WCF-supported programs drive sustainable cocoa farming by:
- Helping farmers earn more for their cocoa crop through better growing techniques, reduced crop loss, and collective bargaining for cocoa producers
- Improving the quality and health of cocoa trees and the quality of the cocoa produced, increasing the price farmers receive for their cocoa
- Introducing farmers to environmentally friendly farming practices, including non-chemical methods of pest and disease control
Before these programs, many cocoa farmers struggled. Some even considered abandoning their cocoa farms in search of crops that offered promise of a better future.
Today, cocoa farmers participating in these programs are seeing income gains of between 15 and 55 percent. They’re growing healthier trees that produce higher quality beans. For them, growing cocoa is a more rewarding, dependable and sustainable pursuit.
To learn more about how the WCF supports sustainable cocoa farming, click on any of the following programs: