Climate resilient cocoa farmers

Increasing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Potential of Small-holder Cocoa farmers in Bundibugyo, Uganda

BACKGROUND

Cocoa is a very competitive commodity with a readily available international market because of the strong chocolate processing and manufacturing industry in Europe. In Uganda, it is the fourth highest revenue generator behind coffee, tourism and tea. The largest tonnage of cocoa in Uganda (85%) is produced in Bundibugyo district and as thus, there is a tremendous opportunity to improve the income and living standards of cocoa farmers and the community at large. However, because of centuries of under-investments, Ugandan cocoa farmers cannot compete yet with global commodity prices, nor can they access the specialty cocoa market. Investments and technical advice are very much needed. Furthermore, climate change is confronting cocoa farmers. In recent years, communities living at the foot of the Rwenzori mountains have suffered some of the most destructive floods the area has ever seen, coupled with a pattern of less frequent but heavier rainfall. For this reason, the Flemish company ZOTO and the Belgian ngo Trias decided to join forces, to, on one hand, assist the smallholder cocoa farmers of the Bwamba Cooperative Union to become more resilient vis-à-vis the negative consequences of climate change, while on the other hand, assist them in the development of a more climate friendly (carbon neutral) cocoa value chain. The project focuses on environmental resilience, climate solutions and commodity upgrading to reach different markets.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at increasing the climate resilience of small-scale cacao farmers in Rwenzori region.

More specifically it targets to improve the organizational capacity of Bwamba Cooperative Union (BCU) to deliver quality services to the members related to climate change adaptation through the adoption of an integrated capacity building trajectory.

STRATEGIES

• Roll out of the Building Resilience toolbox and climate smart agricultural practices.
• Resource efficiency with a focus on use of cocoa by products
• Climate solutions (e.g. carbon neutral cocoa production and inserting farmers into carbon offsetting schemes)
• Agro-forestry focusing on diversifying trees
• Improve cocoa quality, marketing and certification
• Centralized fermentation through construction of a fermentation centre.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Trias promotes the development of sustainable agricultural market chains at local and regional level, in which organized family farmers influence trade relationships and improve their net incomes. We regard cooperation with the private sector a key precondition to enable economic development and allow agricultural entrepreneurs to achieve their own development goals. In this project, Trias and BCU cooperate with ZOTO, a Belgian consultancy company specialized in cacao and related projects. ZOTO focuses on the development of custom-made post-harvest protocols, training for knowledgeable post-harvest processing, a go-to-market strategy (from business plan to infrastructure designs to niche market penetration) and link the chocolate maker to the cocoa producer while making their respective products a reference in the market.

Click here for more information from the G-STIC website.