ChocolateAdelaide boucher-ferté

It’s not all sweet in the chocolate world

Chocolate consumption in the world is rising…

Each person in developed countries such as France and Great Britain eats 7kg of chocolate per year

In developing countries like parts of Africa or China, people are eating between 50g and 2kg per year

However, developing countries are becoming wealthier and chocolate consumption is rising very fast and will eventually catch up with developed countries

… and it comes from Cocoa…

Cocoa trees grow in tropical environments The ideal climate for growing cocoa is hot,

rainy, and tropical, with lush vegetation to provide shade for the cocoa trees.

The primary growing regions are Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The largest producing country by volume is Ivory Coast

World cocoa production is estimated at 4.8 million

tons It is estimated that by 2020, the world will need an

additional 1 million tonne of cocoa beans However, chocolate production is starting to

decrease due to political instability in some producing countries (e.g. Ivory Coast), increasing disease affecting cocoa trees, rural exodus and a switch to more profitable crops.

In 2012 and 2013, cocoa bean production has fallen by 5% and 3% respectively.

… but cocoa production is not

enough

Increasing yields by helping poor farmer pay for fertilisers

(lending them money before the harvest to buy) Introducing a system of production in which cocoa is

cultivated under the shade of Atlantic Forest trees. The system has many advantages such as:

 protecting the cocoa plants against direct sun light and winds,  maintaining high level of moisture in the soil and in the air,  protecting and maintaining biodiversity ,  reducing the attack of insects on the cocoa plants,  being a source of medicine, fire wood, fruits and nuts for local people.

Solutions to increase chocolate production

Ivory Coast and Ghana produce more than 70% of the world’s cocoa

supply. Cocoa farms are small and do not make a lot of money as they don’t

get paid well by cocoa buyers. Therefore, many farms employ children to save money on labour.

Sometimes, children are forced to work in cocoa farms as slaves. Traffickers attract children from neighbouring country Mali and sell them to farmers in need of cheap labour.

Farmers make them work very hard, they harvest the cocoa beans day and night and children are exposed to nasty chemicals.

Moreover their living conditions are inhuman: the farmers do not pay the children nor feed them properly. Sometimes they lock the children up at night to prevent them from escaping.

In addition, these children are denied the right to education.

Child labour

These children make the chocolate you eat but have

never tasted it

Fair trade aims to ensure a better deal for farmers through

guaranted and fair prices for their products. Workers get better wages and working conditions.

The Fair Trade Organisation promotes fair trade 5 million people in 58 countries benefit from fair trade Non-government organisations (NGOs) have implemented

numerous projects to help preventing the use of child labour in the cocoa industry, including supporting farming communities to work with the ethical certification schemes

However, most of the chocolate sold today still comes from uncertified sources (95%) so there is still a long way to go…

Solutions to child labour: Fair trade

Fair trade (2)

When a chocolate producing company sources its chocolate from certified farmers, it is allowed to display the ethical certification logo on the packaging of cocoa products

Buy certified, more ethical chocolate products There are lots of them!

What can you do to help these children?

Developed countries: Rich countries such as France, Great

Britain, Germany, the US, Japan etc Developing countries: Poorer countries which are growing

fast in general as the population becomes wealthier Yield: Quantity of cocoa beans harvested per hectare Rural exodus: People leaving the countryside to live in big

cities NGOs (non governmental organisations): Group that functions

independently of governments. Their purpose is not to make money but to serve a cause, help people etc NGOs are organized on community, national and international levels.

Ethical: Good human behaviour Biodiversity: Diversity of life on earth (animals, plants etc)

Glossary