Despite cocoa being a lucrative – and growing – industry, many cocoa producers live in poverty. Traditionally, most chocolate is produced by smallholder farmers and then sold at markets to middle-men, who go on to sell the cocoa large-scale buyers.

How to start cocoa farm?

Locate a large expanse of forest land with the appropriate climate and suitable rainfalls. Cocoa seedling is very sensitive and can die off quickly if not handled properly. Under the forest canopy is the ideal place to plant cocoa. The land you intend to use for your cocoa farming must be covered by rain forest canopy.

How does cocoa farming affect the environment?

Cocoa production stage. Fig. 2 shows that, cocoa production makes the largest contribution to the environmental impacts of eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, freshwater aquatic eco-toxicity, human toxicity, and terrestrial eco-toxicity, with average contributions greater than 96%.

How much do cocoa farmers make a day?

The average cocoa farmer in Ghana earns 84 cents a day, while the average small farmer in Ivory Coast earns just 50 cents a day, according to the Barometer. Should You Stock Up On Chocolate Bars Because Of Ebola? I met two women cocoa farmers at the World Cocoa Foundation’s meeting in Washington, D.C., this week.

How big is the average cocoa farm in Ghana?

Several factors affect cocoa farmers’ capacity to earn high incomes. The majority of Ghana’s cocoa farmers are self-employed and operate small-scale farms of 2 to 5 hectares. Given their small farm size, yields are often low at an average of 0.42 tonnes per hectare.

Where does the money go when buying cocoa?

It is hard to assess this though, as Fairtrade, Utz Certified and Rainforest Alliance standards can shape farmer incomes in a variety of ways. For example, the Fairtrade Premium of $200 paid on every tonne of Fairtrade cocoa purchased usually doesn’t go back directly to individual farmers, it is spent by the farmer’s co-operative.

How are cocoa farmers affected by terms of trade?

On average, cocoa farmers earn just 6% of the final value a bar of chocolate. When terms of trade don’t work for cocoa farmers it exacerbates poverty and contributes to persistent problems like discrimination, exploitation and deforestation, which threaten the future of cocoa. Choosing Fairtrade is a choice for change.