Geographical indications for Mesoamerican cacao

Code:

ATN/RF-20629-RG

Initiative:

Call for Proposals

FONTAGRO Amount:

USD 200.000

Counterpart Amount:

USD 598.736

Other agencies

USD 0

Total Amount:

USD 798.736

Participating countries:

Costa Rica

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

Spain

Funding source:

FONTAGRO Amount 25% Other agencies 0% Counterpart Amount 75%

Executive Summary

The Mesoamerican region has been fundamental in the domestication and diversification of Theobroma cacao, representing a prominent origin of fine flavor cocoa produced from Criollo and Trinitario varieties. However, fine flavor cocoa remains insignificant in the global cocoa market, despite its production being crucial in the economy and culture of multiple indigenous, afro-Caribbean and mestizo communities who subsist mostly in isolated rural regions in Central America. Furthermore, fine flavor cocoa is the key ingredient in bean-to-bar chocolate, the products of artisan small businesses around the world.

This project aims to establish key territorial factors of the differentiated quality profiles of cocoas of origin, in order to develop Geographical Indications. The project will facilitate the collective management of innovation, increasing added value, the protection of biocultural heritage and the advancement of territories traditionally bound to cocoa production. Integral strategies will be developed for identifying extrinsic and intrinsic factors of cocoa bean quality. Studies will include historic-cultural aspects, typologies of production systems, agronomic and post-harvest practices, as well as quality profile analysis. Furthermore, the project will establish actions for creating organizational capacities key to the implementation and sustainability of GIs.

The technological solution

We propose the dynamization of territories and promotion of cocoa beans from regions of historical quality and prestige, through the articulation of multidisciplinary studies directed at protecting the biocultural heritage and the advancement of innovation. The development of techniques and determination of tangible aspects will be followed by actions towards the development of organizational capacities, imperative for GI implementation and sustainability. Efforts will be aimed at developing capacities for establishing the Control Boards (or Regulatory Council) of the intended protecting regions and to promote a Mesoamerican Control-Board network for the collaborative promotion of GIs, co-creation, innovation management, capacity building and experience exchange.

Results

Implementation of a territorial appraisal strategy aimed at technical studies and capacity building for the development of Geographical Indications, in order to achieve the protection of differentiated fine flavor cocoa beans of Mesoamerican origin. Studies will include analysis for determining the genomic diversity of cocoa plantations in the proposed territories. Next-generation sequencing will be applied to identify microbiological differentiating quality factors. Chemometric analysis will be developed through a multivariate approach for generating Geographical discriminating models using algorithms based on Machine Learning principles. Results will facilitate technical analysis as the models will enable methods for validation, traceability, and authentication.

Beneficiaries

This project will be carried out with the participation of 8,158 farmers in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, focusing efforts on farming organizations and family agricultural systems dedicated to the production fine flavor cocoa beans. In Honduras, an impact on 18 organizations is projected, including 2,900 farmers. In Nicaragua, a direct impact on 17 organizations is projected, including 1,668 farmers. In Costa Rica, an impact on 20 organizations is projected, including 2,138 farmers. In Panama this project will coordinate efforts with a leading cooperative from Bocas del Toro Region, including 1,452 farmers.

The developed GIs will ultimately become intellectual property considered public domain, accessible by individual farmers in each territory through application to the corresponding GI regulatory council. This project will also benefit the 4 participant organizations by generating capacities for supporting the organizations associated with this project in the implementation and sustainability of the developed GIs. Finally, the development of a Mesoamerican platform of Regulatory Councils will serve as a reference model for similar efforts towards regional integration.