Regenerative cacao facts for kids
Regenerative cacao is a special kind of cacao (also called "cocoa"). It comes from farms that use smart, nature-friendly ways to grow plants. This method helps the environment. Cacao is the main ingredient used to make chocolate.
Regenerative cacao farms look a lot like natural forests. Cacao trees grow in the shade of other trees. This helps bring back forests on land that was once cleared for farming or cattle. It's a great way for farmers to earn money while also helping the planet. This method is much better than growing just one type of plant, which can harm forests.
What is Agroforestry?
The way cacao is grown really matters for the environment. If farmers plant only cacao trees in huge fields, it can hurt nature. But if they use a method called agroforestry, it can help the environment grow back. This idea is key to regenerative cacao.
Agroforestry is a farming method that grows crops like a forest. Imagine planting fruit trees, tall timber trees, and trees that make the soil healthier, all on the same piece of land. It's like building a mini-forest farm!
Regenerative agroforestry uses this idea to help forests grow back. One big benefit is that it removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. This helps fight climate change. It also helps farmers grow more food and earn more money. Plus, it increases the number of different plants and animals in an area. It makes the soil healthier and stops it from washing away. Simply put, regenerative agroforestry uses mostly trees to help the land heal itself.
Cacao trees naturally grow in the rainforests of Ecuador. They are used to living under the shade of bigger trees. Because people around the world love chocolate, cacao trees are perfect for these special agroforestry farms in warm, tropical places.
Helping with Climate Change
Regenerative cacao also helps fight climate change. Studies show that cacao farms using agroforestry can remove a lot of CO2 from the air each year. For example, in Central America, they can remove 4.7 to 9.3 tons of CO2 per hectare. In Ecuador, they can remove even more, up to 17.9 tons of CO2 per hectare each year.
Regenerative Cacao in Action
The fancy Ecuadorian chocolate company To’ak works with the rainforest group TMA (Third Millennium Alliance). They have a regenerative cacao project in Ecuador, near the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve. This project aims to stop the cutting down of the Pacific Equatorial Forest.
TMA helps local farmers get started. They give them money, young trees, and tools for watering plants. They also pay farmers for the first five years, which helps until the cacao trees start producing pods. Once the trees grow cacao pods, To’ak buys them at very good prices. They pay at least three times more than regular market prices.
Jerry Toth, one of TMA's founders, says that planting cacao trees is easy. The hard part is finding someone to pay a fair price. This is where To’ak helps a lot. To’ak is famous for selling some of the most expensive chocolate in the world. They pay cacao growers the highest prices, often 200% to 800% more than Fair Trade prices.
A very old type of cacao, called Ancient Nacional cacao, is thought to grow in only three special places in the world. These are the Jama-Coaque mountains and Piedra de Plata valley in Ecuador, and Marañón Canyon in Peru.
Navitas, a company from California that sells organic cacao powder, gets its regenerative cacao from the Liloma Cocoa Cooperative in Sierra Leone. This cooperative has a special "Regenerative Organic Certified" label. Zach Adelman, who helped start Navitas Organics, says, "Regenerative farming is a natural way of growing food. It doesn't just protect our natural resources, it helps them grow back and become even better."
Terra Genesis also has a regenerative cacao project. It is located in coastal Ecuador and goes into coastal Colombia.
