Chocolate is one of the world’s most popular treats, with the chocolate industry worth nearly £4 billion in the UK alone. Meanwhile, cocoa farmers are struggling to survive on a daily wage that is less than the price of a chocolate bar. Now, they face another challenge: the climate crisis.
The climate crisis means higher temperatures, more unpredictable rainfall, and new crop-threatening diseases and pests, all which make it harder to grow cocoa.
Tearfund and our local partners have been working with more than 900 farmers in Ivory Coast to help them to increase their cocoa production and get a fair price for their product.
Overcoming drought and pursuing dreams
Drissa was struggling to grow his cocoa crops because of increasing periods of drought. He had almost given up hope, but then he was invited to a training course run by our local partner. They taught him how to make compost to use as a fertiliser to protect his crops during dry seasons.
‘The leaves of the cocoa trees to which I applied compost came back to life and during the drought the leaves of the cocoa trees remained always green and dense,’ says Drissa. ‘I thank God for giving me back my smile through Tearfund and their local partner.’
As well as helping farmers adapt to changing weather conditions, our local partner also teaches cocoa farmers to grow new crops for food or extra income. This means that farmers are less likely to go without if one crop fails.
