Mars is a leader in the field of cocoa research, and its work encompasses agricultural, economic and health related issues. Working independently, as well as in collaboration with industry partners, governmental agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), scientific research institutions (The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute), non-governmental organizations (World Cocoa Foundation, International Cocoa Initiative and Conservation International), academia (Harvard, University of California-Davis and University of Nottingham) and organizations of small cocoa farmers, Mars has established a variety of programs that seek to ensure the long-term sustainability of the cocoa economy, the communities that produce cocoa, and their environments.
