Divided into three parts, the material is an overview of cocoa production management

 

The Cocoa Sustainability Curriculum is a benchmark of baseline sustainability – for growers, technicians, and institutions. It brings together good agricultural practices for the sustainable production of cocoa, through a process of continuous improvement. The material is the outcome of a collective construction, involving the public and private sectors: grower’s representatives, cooperatives, associations, sector entities, research institutes and rural extension services all contributed to its development. In order to present the Sustainability Curriculum content in a practical and didactic way, the National Association of Cocoa Processing Industries (AIPC) and CocoaAction Brasil have teamed up to produce a special series that includes animated videos and infographics.

The project has been divided into three parts, aligned with the three thematic areas of the Curriculum: production management, environmental management, and social management. The first video features production management; the purpose is to show that it extends far beyond harvesting and commercialization of the crop. It is important for the grower to register all farm activities, from purchase of inputs and handling practices to documents, such as the Rural Environmental Registration of the property (CAR), which will assist him/her in the decision-making process.

Furthermore, the Cocoa Sustainability Curriculum highlights the importance of choosing good seedlings and seeds, soil conservation and nutrition techniques, and handling practices, such as pruning. In this first section, there are also guidelines about pest control, diseases, and indications for a safe and rational use of pesticides, i.e., an overview of farm management practices to improve quality and efficiency of the productive system as well to ensure the safety and health of all people involved in cocoa production at field-level.

Eight infographics were also produced to cover the content, which will be released from June 30 onwards, always on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with guidelines for growers to adopt the practices suggested in the material. The entire Cocoa Sustainability Curriculum can be found on CocoaAction Brasil’s webpage; videos and infographics are also available on AIPC’s LinkedIn and YouTube channel.