As a perennial tree crop traditionally and still predominantly cultivated beneath a diverse shade cover by small-scale producers, cacao has the intriguing potential of serving both economic and environmental ends. The shaded system enhances the soil, protects it from erosion, provides non-cacao products to the farmer and a refuge to an array of animal groups like birds, insects, small mammals, and reptiles.And yet, the future of ecologically sustainable cacao production by small-scale producers is by no means assured.
This workshop aims to focus discussion on the opportunities and challenges related to the ecological and social sustainability of cacao farms and farm communities. Cocoa, the internationally traded commodity from cacao, is currently produced on 6.6 million hectares in tropical regions around the world.
Given the above, the mission of the workshop is the following:
To examine the various issues affecting cacao systems using ecological, social, econonomic, and cultural analyses;
To identify those themes that demand interdisciplinary approaches;
To discuss and propose research priorites for the future;
To explore ways in which cacao can be managed for greater economic gain for small producers and serve as part of regional conservation strategies;
To understand the geographic diversity of cocoa production and catalyze research related to sustainability in representative areas around the world;
And, at the end of the day, to lay out in written form the research priorities, whether specialized or interdisciplinary, needed to address the issue of ecological and social sustainability in cacao systems around the world.