With your help
DAF farms can bind up to 4x more CO2 in the soil.
Our #roadtoclimatepositive
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With your support, chocolate can play a leading role in the fight against climate change and create well-paid jobs in West Africa.
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Schokoschein 2023
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The advantages of dynamic agroforestry (DAF)
Climate positivity
Biodiversity
Farm income
FAQ
Climate-positive means that more climate-damaging emissions (e.g. CO2) and impacts are bound than caused.
The goal of fairafric is to leave the earth in a better condition than it was before our activities. We are not only concerned with CO2, but also with soil fertility, water storage, the highest possible biodiversity of plants and animals, resilience to climate change and the production of healthy products, among other things.
The Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF) cultivation method is based on the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of Latin America and combines many elements of regenerative agriculture or permaculture. The plants are grown in different levels (shrubs, half-stems, etc.) of the forest and different local tree species are planted: Crop trees, biomass trees, shade trees, etc. One of the main objectives is to produce a lot of biomass to improve soil quality. Therefore, not only cocoa is grown, but also other tree and plant species such as cashew, mango, pineapple, etc., which can be processed by Fairafric. The production of biomass binds a large amount of CO2 in the long term. Significantly more than is emitted in Fairafric's entire value chain.
Cocoa is one of the most important cash crops in West Africa. Due to a lack of alternatives and in order to generate an income for the family, an area is often cleared and then as many cocoa trees as possible are planted on the piece of land. After a few years of intensive cultivation, the nutrient reserves in the soil are exhausted and a high use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides is necessary. In Ghana, conventional cocoa cultivation is responsible for the deforestation of 25% of the rainforest.
The cacao tree is a shade plant. This means that the cocoa tree needs larger trees (e.g. palm trees) above it to provide shade and help it to grow and thrive optimally. At DAF, care is therefore taken to ensure that the trees and plants stand next to the cocoa trees, provide sufficient shade and supply the nutrients that the cocoa tree needs. The greatest possible diversity of plants is necessary for this symbiosis. This symbiosis promotes biodiversity, increases the yield per tree, increases soil fertility and the water storage capacity of the soil and the biomass trees actively store CO2 in the soil.
In initial analyses, external experts have determined that by
storing the biomass in the soil, fairafric can store up to 4x more CO2 in the
soil in the long term than is emitted in the entire value chain.
1. higher cocoa premium
In addition to the highest organic premium (692$/MT) in West Africa, fairafric pays farmers a climate premium of 150$/MT. This is a multiple of the regular organic premium or other certifications such as Fairtrade.
2. diversification of income
The cultivation of several crops helps to diversify income and makes it possible to earn an income outside the cocoa harvest season.
3. better soil quality & resilience to climate change
By improving soil fertility and other benefits of DAF for the soil, the plants become significantly stronger and more resistant to environmental influences. In addition, the soil quality increases the quality and yield of the fruit. This means that the land can be cultivated naturally in the long term and sustainably.