Only 500 years holds the relationship of Europeans to cocoa, but it is in danger of ending extremely unstoppable.
This is because, although it depends almost exclusively on imported cocoa. From less developed countries that cannot meet the challenges of climate change and the collapse of biodiversity.
According to a new report held on behalf of 96.5% of the cocoa of the Union countries comes from countries with low or moderate preparedness for the climate crisis, such as Ghana and the C elevenary coast.
From a warehouse in eastern Ghana, which is responsible for more than 60% of world production. Reuters/Francis Kokoroko/File Photo
At the same time, 77% of these imports come from areas with severe biodiversity loss.
The EU’s food security, of course, is considered by many thanks to domestic production. However, as Professor Paul Behrens of the University of Oxford, who participated in the research, points out, the report clearly shows that dependence on external, precarious suppliers undermines this sense of security.
‘Bitter’ numbers and consequences for consumers
The numbers speak for themselves. In just one year cocoa harvests decreased by up to 50%, while their prices rose by 41%.
This has led to mass redundancies in industry and padlocks to small European chocolate producers.
The problem, however, is not limited to chocolate. The exhibition evaluated six basic goods except cocoa (coffee soy, rice, wheat and corn) and found that more than two -thirds of imports came from countries inadequately prepared for climate change.
90% of EU rice and corn comes from vulnerable areas, while significant rates of wheat from countries with low ecological durability.
Which factors were taken into account for research
In order to draw the specific conclusions of the report, the researchers used two rankings. One, of climate readiness by him, combines a country’s vulnerability to climate damage by accessing financial and institutional support.
The second ranking of biodiversity by compares how much abundance of wild species exists in modern societies in relation to those of other historical periods.
A farmer dries cocoa beans in a village in Daloa on the Coast of Coast. /Photo: Reuters/Aboa/File Photo
They found that the majority of imports came from “low-measure” countries on the climate scale and “low-measure” or “moderate” on the biodiversity scale.
Farmers remain helpless
About 90% of world cocoa and 73% of coffee is produced by small producers on farms of less than 50 acres. But only 0.3% of international funding to tackle climate crisis is reaching their hands.
In Uganda, which covers 10% of EU needs in coffee, farmers are already experiencing prolonged droughts, heatwaves and unpredictable rainfall.
Fairly compensation for farmers is a foundation for more durable crops. Cocoa cultivation with trees shading (agrarian systems), the use of durable varieties and sustainable soil and water management can enhance the stability of yields.
Rainforest Alliance’s brice-armel Konan records on his phone the GPS coordinates of a cocoa farm. / Photo: Alexandra Wexler/ The Wall Street Journal
At the same time, innovative practices can provide solutions, from geo -traceability to the use of sensors and drones.
Its application brings additional challenges, as imports of cocoa, café and soybeans should prove that they are not linked to forest deforestation.
Without technical and financial support, there is the risk of excluding small producers from the European market.
The EU, companies, consumers and production countries must act collectively, with long -term strategy: fair prices, investment in durability and substantial protection of nature.
To ensure that chocolate, and other basic foods, will continue to be available to the European public.
Sources: Guardian, The Northern Post, Daily Times, Europa.eu
