A project involving technicians and organizations from Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica has managed to train 347 women in cocoa production.
This initiative promotes research and the exchange of knowledge and is part of the Cocoa 2030-2050 Multi-Agency Platform promoted by FONTAGRO, the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, the National Autonomous Institute for Agricultural Research (both institutions in Ecuador), the Colombian Research Corporation Agriculture and the National Institute of Innovation and Transfer of Agricultural Technology of Costa Rica (INTA).
On October 18 and 19, the representatives of the project from the three countries will meet virtually to learn about the progress of the project which, among other goals, aims to generate technologies and proposals that allow the multi-agency platform to be positioned at the regional level and improve the institutional capacities of each of the member countries.
Cocoa is one of the main commodities traded in the world for the production of food, beverages and other products. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), it has a historical track record linked to millions of producers and is key to food security.
"LAC's ability to supply the fine cocoa market is undoubted, however, the high concentrations of cadmium (Cd) in cocoa beans has become a limitation for development and sustainability," indicates the project's website.
The work program of the Cocoa Multi-Agency Platform 2030-2050 includes workshops, training courses and virtual spaces to disseminate research progress. With these actions, at least 1,784 people have been reached, including producers and technicians, women and men, of whom at least 30 are researchers from the institutions involved.
The training of women is part of the efforts of the Platform to achieve an adequate technical management of cultivation areas, harvests and marketing.
This aspect of producer preparation is extremely important because it worries cocoa-producing countries in Latin America due to the contamination of some cocoa soils by cadmium (cd) and that affects exports due to regulations imposed by the European Union. Therefore, it is necessary to develop mitigation plans at the regional level to reduce Cd contamination levels in cocoa production and; In addition, to know the possible socioeconomic effects of this problem on producers.
Those who wish more information in this regard can visit: plataforma-cacao.com, call +506 2224-4191, contact
WHATSAPP + 506 2283-5016 or writing to the email: info3@plataforma-cacao.com or you can contact Dr. Eduardo Chavez Navarrete, General Coordinator of the ESPOL-Ecuador Project, email: fchavez@espol.edu.ec
