Would you buy a particular chocolate brand if it helped save
a rain forest? Some struggling Ecuadorian cacao growers are banking
you will.
A team of University of Georgia researchers is helping a 400-grower
co-op in the Choco-Andean corridor of Ecuador find ways to market
their crop while saving the surrounding rain forest. The project
began three years ago with funding from the World Bank in Ecuador.
"The main goal of the project is to conserve the biodiversity
of the area," said Rebeca Justicia, a doctoral student working
with UGA Institute of Ecology Professor Ron Carroll. "Our
secondary goal is enhancing the potential of existing crops."
An Ecuador native, Justicia said 700,000 acres of her country
are devoted to cacao plantations. About 5,000 of these acres
are within the Choco-Andean Corridor.
Normally, cacao trees grow on large parcels of clear-cut land.
To help preserve the rain forest's plant and animal life, some
growers are planting them in the shade, leaving surrounding trees
and plants. The grower co-op harvests their shade-grown cacao
beans by hand.
"Shade-grown cacao trees share space with the trees of the
forest and create a friendly habitat for migratory bird species
like the summer tanager," she said. "But they also
generates lower yields per acre than sun-grown cacao trees. Therefore,
we must find ways to make the chocolate business worthwhile for
farmers."
One way would be to market chocolate rather than beans, she said.
But processing their own chocolate isn't feasible. Instead, the
researchers and growers hope to develop a partnership with an
existing processor in Ecuador.
To further market their chocolate, the growers plan to focus
on their environmentally friendly growing practices and the high
quality of their beans. Following advice from UGA researchers,
the growers now sort their beans for quality, which increases
profit.
"We are calling the chocolate 'bird-friendly organic' and
emphasizing that it's a socially responsible product," Justicia
said. "This is extremely high-quality chocolate, as this
region is known for producing high-aroma chocolate. It's the
finest quality in the world."
Shoppers will find bird-friendly organic chocolate in two products:
a chocolate dunking sauce and a chocolate syrup.
Both were developed by UGA food science students using the Ecuadorian
growers’ beans. Professors Rob Shewfelt and Yao-Wen Huang,
food scientists with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, led the new product development.
Competing
in a Global Economy
The University of Georgia is at the forefront of the globalization
movement in higher education with a wealth of opportunities for
international experiences. Our students are flocking to study-abroad
programs, thriving on the challenges inherent in confronting a
new cultural environment. More and more, students on campus are
also making choices that reflect an understanding of the importance
of global awareness—from living in a residence hall-based
language community to starting a radio program in another language
to minoring in a foreign language. These experiences, whether at
home or abroad, influence how our students perceive the world and
their place in it. We’re producing graduates prepared to
be world citizens—well informed, culturally sensitive and
technologically sophisticated. They’re ready to take on the
challenges of our global society, and they’ll be equally
at home whether in the Peach State or the Republic of Georgia. |
University
of Georgia researchers are helping a 400-grower co-op in the Choco-Andean
corridor of Ecuador find ways to market their crop while saving the
surrounding rain forest.
