TCGA Supports Sustainable Farming
Sustainable farming is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities.
What is taken out of the environment is put back in, so land and resources such as water, soil and air can be replenished and are available to future generations. The waste from sustainable farming stays within the farm's ecosystem and cannot cause buildup or pollution. In addition, sustainable agriculture seeks to minimize transportation costs and fossil fuel use, and is as locally-based as possible.
Cacao Farmers are paid a fair wage and are not dependent on subsidies from the government. Sustainable farmers help strengthen rural communities.
Scientists, ecologists, grassroots organizations, cacao farmers, and chocolate industry representatives are seeking new solutions to the problems that cacao farmers face. The plan is to develop agricultural systems that may better sustain the livelihoods of cacao farmers, improve the long-term viability of cacao trees, and safeguard the environment.
Sustainable cacao farms can help protect rainforest fragments:
Some recommendations emphasize a more naturalistic cultivation of cacao on small-scale farms that border threatened rainforests (rather than penetrate virgin rainforests). This practice is called "sustainable farming." Rainforest plants and animals may benefit from the protective buffer zones that these farms create against human encroachment.
Rainforest dwellers can benefit sustainable cacao farms.
Cocao grown on farms planted at the edge of healthy rainforests seems to benefit from the wealth of nearby pollinators and natural pesticides.
Farmers may profit from the arrangement, too.
Planting along the rainforest offers cacao farmers the opportunity to supplement their unpredictable income by implementing a practice called "intercropping." This technique allows farmers to cultivate cacao alongside other canopy trees that produce valuable goods, such as rubber, Brazil nuts, and cashews. Plus, the farmer may also intermingle his cacao with other cash crops like mango, African plum, avocado, guava, cola, lime, and chile peppers.
Potential benefits of growing cacao on sustainable farms include:
- Long term income: Cacao trees grown alongside the rainforest may remain productive for much longer than their sun-plantation counterparts (which suffer more frequently from pests, diseases, and lack of shade).
- Lower maintenance costs: Growing cacao along with other crops can potentially reduce the use and cost of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.
- Higher income: Organically grown cacao that is cultivated without chemicals can often fetch a higher price as this specialty market grows among consumers.
- Income from product diversity: Crops like chile peppers, avocados, etc., can supplement incomes for farmers.