Adelaide 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