- Barza Wire - https://wire.farmradio.fm -

Notes to broadcasters on cocoa

There is a full description of the history and industry behind the cocoa bean available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_bean [1]

Cocoa has been highlighted in previous Farm Radio Weekly editions. A story about cocoa and post-conflict renewal can be found in Issue # 32 (http://weekly.farmradio.org/topic/frw-issues/issue-32/ [2] ) with notes to broadcasters.

The goals of the World Cocoa Foundation are to achieve cocoa sustainability, support cocoa communities, provide education and field programs and advance scientific research. You can find their website here: http://worldcocoafoundation.org/ [3]

Ghana continues to cooperate fully with the International Cocoa Initiative to prevent any form of child labour on cocoa farms. The Cocoa Board of Ghana is currently going through the certification process, as administered by International Cocoa Initiative. You can find their website at: http://www.cocoamarketing.com/industry.php [4]

The International Cocoa Agreement took effect in 2012, and will last for ten years. It is the seventh such agreement, and is designed to bring improvements to the cocoa industry and ensure better prices for small-scale cocoa farmers. The news page of the website of the International Cocoa Organization can be found here: http://www.icco.org/about-us/icco-news.html [5]

A project which creatively combines radio programming, community work and distance learning is targeting current and potential cocoa farmers in eastern Sierra Leone. The project aims to rebuild farmers’ skills, increase the quality and amount of cocoa that they produce, and encourage more people to take up farming to support themselves and their families. You can read more about it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/where_we_work/africa/sierra_leone/sierra_leone_cocoa_september_2012.html [6]