Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
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10.08.2008 - 09:00am ET
News from:
World Cocoa Foundation
World Cocoa Foundation Awards Innovation Challenge Grants to Local Organizations and Institutions in Cocoa Producing Countries
Eight grants totaling $146,000 will benefit cocoa farmers through advances in laborsaving technologies, production efficiency and education
(CSRwire) WASHINGTON, DC. - October 8, 2008 – The World Cocoa Foundation
today awarded $146,000 in challenge grants that will be used over the next
12 months to design and test innovative technologies benefiting cocoa
farmers and building the capacity of local extension services and farmer
associations.
Grants were awarded to eight research institutes, universities and farmer
organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America for work focused on
advancing laborsaving technologies, production efficiency, and'education.
The grants were announced at the World Cocoa Foundation's 14th Partnership
Meeting, being held in Hamburg, Germany.
"Innovation is the key to helping cocoa farmers fully benefit from the
world's growing appetite for this important commodity," said Bill Guyton,
President, World Cocoa Foundation. "Inefficient and labor‐intensive
farming practices must make way for new approaches if we are to strengthen
farm families and communities both economically and socially. The grants
announced today will bring this much‐needed innovation to the field,
making it more accessible to cocoa farmers around the world."
Grants were awarded in the area of farm‐level innovation to:
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, to explore the cost‐effective
and environmentally friendly use of pheromone traps for mirid insect
control by small‐scale, organic cocoa farmers;
Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, for exploratory work in
sensitizing farmers about the need to use organic fertilizers and
composting to improve soil fertility, productivity and farmer incomes;
Nong Lam University, Vietnam, for research into simpler, more
affordable drip irrigation systems to improve cocoa crop yield and
quality, reduce labor and improve environmental sustainability; and,
Duc Hiep Cocoa Club, Vietnam, for the development of an innovative,
indirect heat drying system for cocoa beans to reduce loss due to mold and
improve overall quality and pricing.
Grants were awarded in the area of education innovation to:
University of Cape Coast, Ghana, School of Agriculture, to develop
participatory learning approaches encouraging farmer adoption of
artificial cocoa pollination, significantly improving productivity, yield
and long‐term sustainability;
Conservacion y Desarrollo (CyD), Ecuador, to implement an
innovative "education tour" approach to promoting knowledge sharing among
farmer associations, helping improve production, incomes and overall
quality of farm community life;
CATIE, Costa Rica, for the development of a teaching module on the
reproductive biology of cocoa, to help farmers better understand crop
management practices and improve yields;
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, to benefit women and women’s
groups economically by disseminating knowledge about quality potash and
soap production from cocoa pod husks.
Over the next 12 months, award recipients will test and validate the
proposed innovations. Successful ones will be reviewed further for
potential scale up and will be offered more broadly for application in
cocoa‐producing countries.
The World Cocoa Foundation's challenge grant program first was announced
on July 18 at its Cocoa Innovations Symposium, where more than 70 experts
representing cocoa producing countries, farmer organizations, research
institutes, NGOs, international donors and industry reviewed
labor‐saving technologies and production efficiency, farm safety,
education and community development, as well as monitoring innovative
approaches and evaluating their impact and suitability for scale‐up.
Funding for the grants was provided by USAID, MC Publishing, GTZ, Mars
Incorporated and the World Cocoa Foundation.
About the World Cocoa Foundation
Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation is a leader in promoting
economic and social development and environmental stewardship in 15
cocoa‐producing countries around the world. With nearly 70 member
companies from the Americas, Europe and Asia, the Foundation actively
supports a range of farm‐level programs harnessing sustainable
agriculture practices to improve the quality of life for the millions of
smallholder farmers growing this unique crop. For more information about
the World Cocoa Foundation, visit: www.worldcocoafoundation.org.
For more information please contact:
Bill Guyton, President
World Cocoa Foundation
202-737-7870
www.worldcocoafoundation.org
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