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Planting Tress to Achieve Agricultural Sustainability and Better Farming Livelihoods
Cocoa Family
Plant trees, tree huggers and many other slogans have been going around lately. The public’s attention has recently been shifted to the earth’s ecosystem and its abuse. Global warming and other documentaries and books have given the movement a jumpstart. We need to save the planet, we are running out of trees and resources, have been the latest thoughts on minds of those who are somewhat conscious of the current problem.
There have been many initiatives with “plant trees” movement in current years – many have succeeded and some just wasted their time. There were people that joined the cause in a spar of a moment or made decisions based on their emotional state.
Like anything, planting tree initiatives have to have a bigger purpose. Having lots of trees do help to keep the planet green, no question about that. But, is there a way to capitalize more on that than just having a few more trees?
This is where the sustainability comes in place, to be specific – agricultural sustainability. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime comes in play here. Planting a field with one thousand trees may have limited benefits if they act just as trees. However, if trees can produce, then there are multiple benefits. If trees bear specific fruits, let’s say apple, then it can provide a increase in income to farmers, help the supply of apples in the market, and assist the ecosystem.
The recent project by Cocoa Family Foundation focuses on planting cocoa bean trees to assist farmers to expand their production, helping with their livelihood and providing enough cocoa to avoid any deficit in the market. Planting trees can also benefit the cocoa value chain and avoid crop change by farmers because the income from it is not enough. Over 90% of cocoa is produced by small farm owners. Changing crops is very common amongst those farmers once the price for cocoa drops or demand is decreased. Which can then result in unbalance of supply and demand and higher cocoa prices in the marketplace.
Cocoa bean has many health benefits. Besides being the main ingredient of chocolate, cocoa is also used in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, beverage and cosmetics industries. Some of the nutrients and minerals found in cocoa are Magnesium, Iron, Chromium, Anandamide “The Bliss Chemical”, Theobromine, Antioxidant Flavonoids, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Omega 6 Fatty Acids, Phenethylamine (PEA), Tryptophan, Serotonin, Endorphins, Sulfur, Calcium, Potassium, N-acylethanolamines, Oleic Acid, Heart-Healthy Monounsaturated Fat, MAO Inhibitors.
Historically, cocoa has been used to treat everything from kidney disorders and liver disease to depression and tickly coughs, but scientists now believe the antioxidants in it could also help prevent cancers and heart disease, and increase blood flow to the brain, fighting dementia into the bargain.
<p>Michelle Gracia is a program director at Cocoa Family with extensive expertise in agricultural economics, pest control, <a href="http://www.cocoafamily.org/">cocoa bean</a> farming, sustainable, organic and fair trade certification process.</p>
Article submitted Wednesday, December 21, 2011 & read 11 times.
Michelle Gracia is a program director at Cocoa Family with extensive expertise in agricultural economics, pest control, cocoa bean farming, sustainable, organic and fair trade certification process.
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