From finance to farming:
The second day starts very early with a presentation of the activities of the
Mars Center for Cocoa Science and a brief history of cocoa production in Bahia
by the center’s director Jean-Philippe Marelli. I was surprised to learn that
the Latin name of cocoa is Theobroma, which can be translated as ‘food for the
gods’ – a very powerful and certainly not incorrect metaphor. Shortly after the
presentation, I met my translator for the week, Amanda, who only recently
joined the center as a communications intern. What followed was my first
hands-on work in the cocoa fields. Guided by experienced farmers, I learned how
to plant cocoa seeds, how to do grafting, how to mix the optimal blend of soil
for more productive cocoa trees and how to take care of young trees in the
greenhouse. In the afternoon, we went to see the agroforestry system of cocoa
at the nearby farm ‘cinco porcos’. I noticed that the cocoa pods varied greatly
in their shape and, interestingly, in colour. For example, the colours of the
pods ranged from dark purple to bright yellow and light green. The reason for
that is that cocoa can be divided into several groups with different genetic
characteristics, such as Amelonado, Criollo and Forastero. The Mars Center has
over 600 types of cocoa in its collection, which represents almost 100% of the
cocoa diversity in the world. Most cocoa varieties develop pods up to four
times a year, which is why harvesting cocoa pods is in fact a continuous
process. Equipped with an enormous halberd, I helped the locals to harvest cocoa
pods and to separate the nibs from the shell. This is actually quite a complex
job, which requires utmost precision, concentration and speed. Back at the
Center, I met my new flat mate Lauranne, who was interning at the Center and
studying the carbon foot print of cocoa, an academic area, which hasn't been
extensively studied thus far.
Next day, we went on a field trip to ‘PA Brazil’, a settlement for landless people who suffered the consequences of the witches’broom fungus, which had a devastating effect on Bahia’s economy and social welfare in the 1990s. After a 2-hour drive through the Mata Atlantica forest, we arrived at the settlement. The locals welcomed us with delight and showed us around the village. Most of these people used to be farmers, but the new reality of the cocoa disease forced them to switch to less productive crops or cattle breeding. Some of them were working on the old cocoa 'fazendas' of affluent farmers and became unemployed when the rich people abandoned their lands. Some areas have been recovered, but a majority of farms were still abandoned, while the population is living below the poverty line of $1 per day. The farmers I have met were, however, very positive and talkative, despite their extreme situation. Particularly the young generation, who grew up in the cocoa crisis of the 1990s was very curious. They wanted to know everything about me, where I come from, what life is like in Europe and what football clubs I was supporting. I have also met the mayor of the nearest city Barro Preto, who turned out to be quite a cheerful fellow. Together with the MCCS, the city administration jointly invests in the 'PA Brazil' settlements. The farmers proudly showcased to us their banana plantations, brought us fresh coco nuts and guavas and invited us to their community house, which was still in construction. On the one hand, it was shocking to witness the extreme poverty, the abandoned houses and the poor infrastructure of the region. But on the other hand, it was reassuring to see that there was still hope and that no stone was left unturned to help the population to escape poverty.
On Thursday Slava will be back with more on his time in Brazil, discussing his crash course in cocoa science and his experience of community work in Bahia.
Find out more about Slava and what he studied here.
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