Agriculture and Environment: Cocoa

Better Management Practices: Work with Governments to Control Cocoa Expansion

An important leverage point in cocoa production is political.

It is virtually impossible to develop effective strategies for working directly with hundreds of thousands of small producers scattered throughout the world. Governments have the ability to encourage producers to adopt better practices through regulatory structures that influence production, or as a condition of concession permits or licenses to use specific areas for cocoa production.

Three countries account for 70% of all production. Another 7 bring the figure to virtually all traded cocoa. One strategy could be to work with governments to increase the sustainability of existing or planned cocoa expansion.

For example, the identification and analysis of better management practices for specific regions could help existing producers reduce environmental problems and increase profits.

Such practices could also be the criteria that governments use to zone new areas for cultivation. Such improved practices could serve as the basis for government licenses, permits, or even agricultural credit for the ongoing production of cocoa.

Finally, better management practices can be used to make convincing financial arguments for why governments should modify land subsidies or infrastructural support in order to encourage the industry to become more sustainable.