A typical West African farm covers five to eight acres of land and may grow approximately 2,500 cacao trees.
But conditions are rarely ideal for the farmer to produce the crop.
An estimated one-third or more of the world's cocoa is lost to pests and diseases every year, having a potentially devastating impact on small farmers whose livelihoods depend on the yields of a healthy crop; sometimes these farmers suffer a total loss of their crop.
Many groups have an interest in addressing the issues facing cocoa farmers:
- The chocolate industry needs a stable supply of raw ingredients;
- Environmental groups seek to preserve the natural habitats that cocoa creates in otherwise fragile tropical regions;
- Donor organizations aim to raise rural incomes;
- Cocoa farmers need a dependable source of income;
- National governments look to support domestic agriculture and raise living standards in the rural communities.
Mars and many others concerned with these issues are now seeking to broaden the scope of these various endeavors and coordinate them in an integrated approach.
