Improving cacao and coffee systems through innovations and partnerships

Millions of smallholder farmers around the world depend on cacao and coffee for their livelihoods. Yet they face significant constraints due to climate change, pest and diseases, and inadequate access to planting materials and other farm inputs. They frequently are price-takers, and do not have ready access to market information or finances. Cacao and coffee production continue to be a driver for deforestation. While largely traded as a commodity, there is heightened interest in sustainably produced, differentiated superior quality cacao and coffee that also provide a living income for farmers.

The Alliance, working together with stakeholders across the value chains, are addressing these constraints and opportunities in innovative ways.

For cacao and coffee, the Alliance is making significant contributions in four key areas:

• Accessing and conserving genetic diversity
• Environmental benefits for farming communities and their landscapes
• Livelihood benefits for farmers
• Quality benefits for processors and consumers

Through these actionable areas, we have developed and applied a wide range of innovations to mitigate vulnerabilities along the supply chain. This includes extensive work on risk-management, identifying climate-smart agriculture practices, monitoring environmental changes and deforestation, developing sustainably produced superior quality cacao for a differentiated market and the international cacao quality and flavor standards. To strengthen the capacity of key actors in value chains and to support living incomes of producers, we are identifying supportive and incentive mechanisms through skills development, agricultural advisories and sustainable financing.

We have made important progress in cacao genetic resources conservation through CacaoNet. This network of key stakeholders has developed a global conservation strategy and initiated priority actions.

We are able to reach smallholder farmers with relevant and timely information about the production of cacao and coffee through local agronomic advisories and packages, use of genetic diversity, and feedback on quality and flavor for improved post-harvest processing.

In parallel, we are improving food safety by developing ways to minimize or eliminate cadmium in cacao in the Andean region through Clima-LoCA.

In setting the global stage for cacao, we have been recognizing the work of farmers and celebrating quality, flavor diversity and unique origins in Cacao of Excellence.

• Cacao and coffee are farmed by millions of smallholder farmers around the globe. Environmental challenges like climate change, and pest and diseases and factors related to inadequate access to farming inputs and skills development, puts intense pressure on these farmers, the majority of whom are not assured of a living income.
• Being price-takers, smallholders often need additional capacity to understand their value chain and have access to market information.
• The global demand for cacao and coffee and its generation of national farmer income also contribute to deforestation to make way for greater production.
• Cacao and coffee, largely traded as commodities, have been gaining interest in differentiated and superior quality, products and markets  based on sustainable practices that meet buyers’ needs ready to offer better prices.

• By networking across key stakeholders, the Alliance (CacaoNet) has developed a global cacao genetic resources conservation strategy and derived priority actions with partners.
• Through locally relevant initiatives, the Alliance was able to reach smallholder farmers and provide relevant and timely information about the production of cacao and coffee in various forms: local agronomic advisories, feedback on quality and flavor for improved post-harvest processing, conserving and maximizing use of genetic resources, modeling, and providing packages of adaptation practices.
• In addition to setting international standards for cacao quality and flavor, we have been recognizing the work of cacao farmers and celebrating quality, flavor diversity and unique origins (Cacao of Excellence).
• We have seen significant strides in improving food safety by developing ways to minimize or eliminate cadmium in cacao.