A Statement of Mission for the Sustainable Cacao Workshop

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Panama City, Panama

30 March 1998

As a perennial tree crop traditionally and still predominantly cultivated beneath a diverse shade cover by small-scale producers, cacao has the intriguing potential of serving both economic and environmental ends. The shaded system enhances the soil, protects it from erosion, provides non-cacao products to the farmer and a refuge to an array of animal groups like birds, insects, small mammals, and reptiles.And yet, the future of ecologically sustainable cacao production by small-scale producers is by no means assured.

 

This workshop aims to focus discussion on the opportunities and challenges related to the ecological and social sustainability of cacao farms and farm communities. Cocoa, the internationally traded commodity from cacao, is currently produced on 6.6 million hectares in tropical regions around the world.

 

Given the above, the mission of the workshop is the following: