5 minutes of training for cocoa farmers in Indonesia

Cocoa is produced almost exclusively by small farmers (Bermudez et al., 2022). The main growing area in Indonesia is currently Sulawesi. Cocoa cultivation in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo is not yet very widespread, although the cocoa from the area has already convinced some chocolate manufacturers with its good taste and high quality. Due to a lack of structures, farmers in rural areas of Borneo are not always able to finance a living for themselves and their families by selling cocoa beans. The majority of the cocoa value chain is managed by a few large cocoa traders and processors (Gayi, SK & Tsowou, K., 2017). Such "chocolate giants", among other things, put price pressure on small farmers that they cannot maintain. Overall, this leads to poor working conditions in the cocoa sector and further deforestation in order to generate more income through more land for cocoa (BMZ 2019). German chocolate consumption is not uninvolved in this (GIZ 2023), for example, almost 10 kg were consumed per capita in 2022 (Tagesspiegel 2023). Strengthening individual cocoa farmers can lead to a better position on the market and thus to more income. The first step towards this is to train small farmers. The more knowledge they have about growing and caring for cocoa trees and harvesting and processing cocoa fruits, the higher the quality of the cocoa beans. High-quality cocoa beans also generate a better income.