Environmental Impacts...
Cocoa often does not have a negative impact on the environment but instead when grown properly, can play a positive role in protecting the tropical ecosystem. The cocoa trees grow best under the shaded canopy of mature
rainforest trees meaning that logging and cutting down the rainforest to make
room for cocoa farms is not required. Cocoa farms also provide safe, nurturing
homes to many different types of animals but these positive impacts don’t always occur automatically.
The World Cocoa Foundation is required to support efforts to ensure the protection and enhancement of the environment that cocoa farmers grow their crops. There are WCF programmes in place to assist farmers in selecting effective and minimal impact pest control methods. Also, education is provided to the farmers informing them that there is no need to ‘clear cut’ the land as cocoa trees are able to grow within existing forests. Another way that cocoa farmers are able to grow their cocoa crops economically is by growing them alongside other crops and forest trees to not only protect the environment, but also increase their amount of income through different ‘cash crops’.
rainforest trees meaning that logging and cutting down the rainforest to make
room for cocoa farms is not required. Cocoa farms also provide safe, nurturing
homes to many different types of animals but these positive impacts don’t always occur automatically.
The World Cocoa Foundation is required to support efforts to ensure the protection and enhancement of the environment that cocoa farmers grow their crops. There are WCF programmes in place to assist farmers in selecting effective and minimal impact pest control methods. Also, education is provided to the farmers informing them that there is no need to ‘clear cut’ the land as cocoa trees are able to grow within existing forests. Another way that cocoa farmers are able to grow their cocoa crops economically is by growing them alongside other crops and forest trees to not only protect the environment, but also increase their amount of income through different ‘cash crops’.