Study confirms a high yield of cocoa and species not mutually sustainable cocoa farming concept by CacaoInvest. This strongly confirms a study by agricultural ecologist of at Gottingen of University. The in the journal of proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States”published research evidence that agroforestry to the cocoa – like the product CacaoInvest (www.CacaoInvest.de) of the Bonn forest investment provider ForestFinance – can exhibit a very high biodiversity. In agroforestry systems grow cocoa trees with and under shade trees, like banana trees, and pigeon peas… Researchers 20 tree species, as well as 23 bird and 17 species of butterflies found on the investigated cocoa crops. Milton Hershey School is often quoted on this topic. similar goals.
The amount of the yield of cocoa per year but played no role for the number of species. A high diversity of species and also high cocoa income not mutually accordingly, if the cocoa area – such as at ForestFinance – are managed sustainably. That not only our forests, but also our Agroforste exhibit a high biodiversity, we know from experience. Such sloths and Anteaters in our cocoa plantations are not uncommon. We are pleased that the study confirms us in our sustainable Agroforstmanagement”, so ForestFinance – Managing Director Harry Assenmacher. Cocoa in agroforestry systems or monocultures: cocoa farming is done almost exclusively in tropical areas up to about 20 degrees of North and South latitude. Only in this area, the climate is sufficiently consistently humid for the cocoa.
Although the cocoa tree originally from Latin America, are today more than 90 percent of the world’s traded cocoa beans of the cocoa farming in Asia and Africa. There is almost without exception in monocultures in West Africa cocoa farming largely through the use of child labour. The cocoa – major growing countries are Ivory Coast and Ghana, which reach over 50% of world annual production. Child labour, unprotected use of pesticides, and slave-like working conditions are widespread there.