The Influence of Chocolate Around the World

The Influence of Chocolate Around the World

A huge number of countries produce cacao beans and there are approximately 4.5 million cacao farms around the world. The current value of the annual global crop of cacao is 5.1 billion dollars. Almost all countries that produce cacao beans are developing countries and almost all countries that consume chocolate are industrialised countries. The top 4 producers of cacao beans are the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Indonesia.

The demand for chocolate is increasing. For the last century demand has increased by 3% each year. It is estimated that the demand for chocolate will double by 2050. This puts increasing pressure on farmers to produce a more cacao beans and at a quicker pace as well. Climate change has caused longer drought seasons which makes it more difficult for farmers to plant and sustain cacao trees. Traditional cacao farms plant cacao trees in the shade among other plants and trees. However, to increase the quantity of beans produced, some farmers have planted their crops out of the shade in direct sunlight. Despite yielding a greater quantity of beans using this method, it also lowers the quality of the beans.

Cacao trees with no shade are also more prone to diseases and weeds which leads to farmers using more pesticides which damage the land and can affect the health of the workers spraying. Excessive use of pesticides can cause weeds and insects to build up a resistance which will eventually create more harm to crops. Cacao farmers that don't use shade can also contribute to deforestation as they wear out the soils and then cut further into the forest to get fresh land.

In recent years, many organisations and journalists have exposed the widespread use of child labour and slavery in cacao farms around the world. Many cacao farmers earn less than 2 dollars a day and so they often resort to the use of child labour 'to keep prices competitive'. The majority of slavery in the cocoa industry occurs in West Africa as 70% of the world's cocoa comes from here. There are approximately 2.1 million children used as slave labour in the cacao industry. This slave labour is not only people held against their will but also family's exploiting their children by making them to work on the cacao farm.

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Organisations such as Fair Trade International, Farmstrong and Slave Free Chocolate help to combat the problem of child labour and slavery by campaigning and raising awareness. Chocolate manufacturers and importers who buy Fair Trade cocoa sign a contract with Fair Trade Labelling Organisations International to commit to pay the farmers the Fair Trade price which is the market price plus a premium. This guarantees a living wage for farmers. Farms are inspected each year to prevent abusive labour practices and Fair Trade also promotes sustainable farming. The World Cocoa Foundation works to end deforestation in the global cocoa supply chain and promote a sustainable cocoa economy through economic and social development.

However, slavery, unsustainable cacao farming and poor pay of cacao farmers is still a problem that is unlikely to disappear over night so we as a global nation must do our utmost to combat these problems by supporting organisations like the ones listed above.