Subvention de $ 140 000 pour l’innovation dans le cacao
La World Cocoa Foundation, avec ses partenaires, remettra le prix en octobre 2008
WASHINGTON, July 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ : The World Cocoa Foundation(WCF) has announced $140,000 in challenge grants to drive innovation insustainable cocoa farming.
The grants will focus on labor-saving technologies and production efficiency; farm safety; education and community developmentand will be awarded in October 2008 to local organizations and institutions incocoa-producing countries.
Funding for the grants comes from the United States Agency for International Development, MC/Manufacturing Confectioner,Mars Incorporated, and GTZ GmbH.
In announcing the challenge grants, Bill Guyton, President, World CocoaFoundation, said, ”We have a tremendous opportunity today to transform howcocoa is farmed and unlock the economic potential of this unique and importantcrop. Our goal is that these grants not only will drive significant innovation in cocoa farming practices, but will improve the livelihoods andwell-being of the world’s five million smallholder farm families that dependupon this unique and important crop.”
More than 70 experts from around the world gathered at the WCF’s Cocoa Innovations Symposium in Washington DC on July 17 – 18 to discuss the challenges facing cocoa farmers and to identify the most significant opportunities for innovation and change.
Key among these were opportunities for:
Farm-level innovation, focusing on labor-saving technologies andproduction efficiency in such areas as applied research, post-harvestmechanization, cocoa-pod composting, and solar driers;
Improved farm safety, including alternative tools, harvesting mechanization, and integrated pest management; and,
Expanded education and community development, including improved training approaches and methods of disseminating information related to basiceducation, farmer training, sensitization on social issues, and farmerorganization development.
Universities, research institutes and non-governmental organizations incocoa-producing countries have been asked to work with cocoa farmers insubmitting grant proposals.
The grants, designed to benefit cocoa farmers andbuild the capacity of local extension services and farmer associations, willbe announced at the World Cocoa Foundation’s Partnership Meeting in Hamburg,Germany, October 8 – 9, 2008.
