[May Free Report] Chocolate vs Climate change

Agriculture plays a significant role in the climate crisis as a major contributor of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and destruction of forests for monocrop agricultural land. Emerging sustainable agriculture practices provide the possibility of stemming the flow of agriculture-linked greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation to enhance mitigation of climate change. A specific crop that has shown potential for benefits of implementing sustainable cultivation is the seed of the tree Theobroma cacao, known as the cocoa bean, used to produce chocolate. 

Chocolate is a booming industry, and Canada is among the largest consumers of chocolate in the world. The average yearly consumption is 6.4 kg or 160 bars of chocolate per person, making Canada the ninth largest market for chocolate (1). Farmers are struggling to keep up with the enormous global demand for chocolate, due to the timeframe of cocoa tree growing cycles. It can take an entire year for a cocoa tree to produce the cocoa beans necessary just for half a pound of chocolate (2).  With older trees yielding even less cocoa, farmers usually clear tropical forests to plant new cocoa trees rather than reuse current or past fields, causing massive deforestation (3), and contributing to rising temperatures, further exacerbating low crop yield. A large percentage of the world’s cocoa is grown in West Africa, where climate change is expected to drastically boost temperatures and increased periods of drought in coming decades. This is detrimental to local cocoa farms, as cocoa trees are very sensitive to extreme heat and dry conditions. This issue is also intersected with other social justice issues, such as child labor in the growing, harvesting, and transporting cocoa beans. 

Positive steps are being made to convert the cocoa industry into one that is ecologically and economically viable through sustainable farming practices. For example, as the cocoa tree is naturally an under-story tree that prefers tropical forest conditions. Its natural habitat consists of forests with a canopy providing shelter from intense sun and rain. A multi-layered forest ecosystem is the best environment for its growth as well as for sustainable and commercial cultivation (4). Cocoa growth holds enormous potential for environmental conservation in areas pressured by logging, development, and deforestation. By retaining the tree’s natural environment, it not only makes the industry sustainable, but also more economically profitable, as allowing the trees to reside in their native habitat inevitably produces more yield. The benefits of this system also include access to pollinators, natural pest control, and habitats for wildlife. The expansion of sustainable farming practices shows a great deal of promise, and the transition of cocoa farming to a more sustainable practice that reduces carbon dioxide emissions and protects biodiversity is making the chocolate industry a positive example for other crops and food industries to follow around the world.

Sources.

1.   Inter-American institute for cooperation on Agriculture https://www.iica.int/en/press/news/canadians-explore-how-their-love-chocolate-can-support-farming-communities#:~:text=Canada%20is%20among%20the%20largest,more%20than%20the%20United%20States

2.   World Wildlife Fund https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/spring-2017/articles/bittersweet-chocolate-s-impact-on-the-environment

3.   Rainforest Alliance https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/addressing-the-challenges-in-west-africa-cocoa-farming/

4.   Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation biology institutehttps://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/research/cacao/whinney.cfm

Photo Credit: Tetiana Bykovets, Unsplash