Cacao trees thrive when planted in combination with other trees.
The presence of other vegetation diminishes the likelihood of damage
to the trees from disease and pests. Farmers worldwide attempt to maximize
production from the land. More densely planted acreage tends to yield, in
the short term at least, more cacao. Dense planting, however, also exhausts
the soil and probably makes the spread of disease from one tree to another
more likely. Moreover, the lack of plant diversity in tightly packed cacao
groves inevitably leads to a decrease in the diversity of animals that may
be natural enemies of the insects and other pests that attack the tree. Even
under the best of circumstances, the loss of cacao to disease and pests is 30%
or more.
But there is a better way. We recently began importing cocoa beans from
a unique COOP in Tomé-Açu, Brazil that uses multi-crop, sustainable cacao farming
practices, which provide a high level of income to the farmers, and actually help
reforest degraded rainforest areas. SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker is the first
company outside of Brazil to buy these beans.
Click here to learn about
the sustainable farming practices some Brazilian farmers in Tomé-Açu are using.
