Happily, I am consuming my 1 kilo of cocoa tablea (tablet) ordered from Indai Le Cortes' Villa Cortes Criollo Farm from Sagbayan, Bohol, the farm right next to Chocolate Hills. I bring 2 tablets to a boil with water, then drink it – I like it hot. I like the many health benefits too. Healthline says, "Cocoa and dark chocolate have a wide variety of powerful antioxidants... way more than most other foods[1]."
About cacao culture, especially in pursuit of the New PH Agriculture espoused by Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, who is therefore chief of the Department of Agriculture, DA: Now, the sense of "Agriculture" the DA is espousing is double: Agriculture, growing field crops like rice and corn, and Horticulture, growing garden crops like flowers, fruit trees, ornamentals, and vegetables.
Growing cocoa/cacao is not Agriculture but Horticulture, which is the UPLB doctorate field of Manong Willie. From a Facebook sharing, in the image above, Permaculture is close to Horticulture. With this one-line subhead, "Permaculture Is The Best Way For #Cacao," I see a big problem, and so I say, "Not so fast!"
Look again at the image, right – the population of plants is sparse, not thick. There are no shade trees indicated, and I know that cocoa, the source of cacao seeds for the making of chocolate, loves to be nursed by shade – superimposed image from Chocolate Class[2].
Lydia Hammond says Ecuador farmers grow cacao with coffee trees, as "Coffee bushes keep rain and wind from damaging the soil or smaller cacao trees so they’re worthwhile protection[3]." Not only that – the farmer has 2 crops growing in the same place, one a buffer if the other crop fails. Plus Spanish cedar trees to shade cacao from harsh sunlight.
Oliver M Goshey says that in Guatemala, "Large-scale cacao, cardamom, and coffee (productions are carried out) in the shade of larger hardwood trees for the best health of each species[4]."
Permaculture Ghana says, "Cocoa naturally grows in a forest ecosystem with other supporting associated plants that maintain the soil fertility[5]."
Michon Scott says the world's leading producers are Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia, where "Cacao trees thrive in rainforests[6]."
In a study in Ghana, Richard Asare, Bo Markussen, Rebecca Ashley Asare, Gilbert Anim-Kwapong & Anders Ræbild report that "A linear mixed model analysis showed that yields increased significantly with increased CC of shade trees" (CC meaning canopy cover), and in fact, there was a doubling of yields with 30% CC.
In another study, also in Ghana[7]:
Researchers found that under a shade-tree cover of approximately 30 percent, shade trees had a predominantly positive effect on cocoa plants compared to areas without shade trees. This amount of shade is ideal for keeping pests and diseases in check while maintaining maximum soil moisture.
Note that the shade trees also prevent pests & diseases.
Indai, Horticulture is the way to go with cacao. Canopy cover, shade trees, nurse trees – or banana trees, your cocoa trees need them!@517
[1]https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate#section2
[2]https://chocolateclass.wordpress.com/tag/the-future-of-chocolate/
[3]http://blogs.evergreen.edu/terroir-chocolate10/looking-at-the-ideal-cacao-farm-through-a-permaculture-lense/
[4]https://www.abundantedge.com/abundantedge/permaculture-chocolate-the-highest-quality-anywhere-in-the-world-with-lorenzo-maniet-of-el-porvenir-cacao-farm-045
[5]https://permacultureghana.wordpress.com/the-solutions/sustainable-cocoa-farming/
[6]https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-chocolate
[7]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180518102749.htm
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