In the West African cocoa belt, which produces over 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa beans, lower rainfall, rising temperatures, disease, and ageing trees have already caused marked reductions in cocoa yields, with the average now falling below 500kg/ha. As yields decline, increases in cocoa production have largely been driven by a rise in the area of cultivated land, leading to high rates of deforestation.
As deforestation is a significant contributor to the climate crisis, there is a need to increase the fertility of existing cocoa plantations and to invest in restoring deforested landscapes. One solution is to find innovative uses for the waste from cocoa production to reduce the environmental impact of cocoa farming and sustainably increase production.
The Impact of Cocoa Waste
After cocoa pods are harvested, the husks are often left in large piles on the farm or in nearby areas where the cocoa beans are extracted. As this waste decomposes, it releases methane and carbon dioxide, attracts harmful insects, and is a potential source of pathogenic microorganisms that cause black pod disease
With the potential economic, health and environmental benefits, generating products and income from cocoa waste is a vital part of creating a more sustainable industry and a healthier environment.
Introducing the Cocoa Carbon Biochar Project
In 2023, with the support of IDH and LONO, we developed the Cocoa Carbon Biochar (CCB) research and development project to test the potential effects of biochar in cocoa agroforestry. The project aims to evaluate whether this innovation presents an attractive business case for the farmer, and as many of our clients have carbon reduction targets, to explore the potential for reducing the carbon footprint of the exported cocoa beans.
Biochar is a charcoal-like material obtained by burning biomass, such as cocoa husks and pruning materials, under anaerobic conditions. When incorporated into the soil, biochar can increase water retention, improve soil fertility, sequester carbon, and reduce the need for expensive chemical fertilisers.
The CCB project is a comprehensive initiative that aims to:
- Assess biochar production models and their potential for scaling
- Understand the environmental and agronomic benefits of biochar in the context of cocoa agroforestry
- Analyse the business case for cocoa farmers to adopt biochar soil applications
- Investigate the optimal models for monetisation and benefit sharing of the sequestered carbon through in-setting or off-setting.
Implementation started in March 2023, with several expert organisations contributing to the development and implementation.
Expert Partners
Biochar production tests are being conducted by LONO, who are assessing the type of biomass and equipment best suited to making high-quality biochar. By August 2024, the optimal production method for smallholder farmers will be determined, and then they will train and equip 50 farmers to make biochar from their farm waste in the 24-25 cocoa season.
“Air, water and soil are key natural resources, but only the soil is owned by farmers, and this can be used to significantly improve their situation. We know the potential of biochar and when blended with our compost BioYam, the results have exceeded expectations in many cases.”
Noel N’guessan, LONO Co-founder and Director of Operations
ARGINOV and l’Ecole Superieure d’Agronomie (ESA) at INP-HB regional leaders in agricultural research, will validate the quality of the research and development. With the support of these partners, test protocols have been developed to assess the impact of biochar on cocoa yields, soil quality, carbon sequestration, and seedling survival. This will be tested on 50 trial plots and in nurseries, with the research partners supporting implementation, sampling methods, and results analysis.
Monetising the sequestered carbon will play an important role in the business case for farmers and implementers. Therefore, in the last phase of the project, carbon monetisation models will be investigated:
- In-setting: Where sequestered carbon will be used to reduce the carbon footprint of the exported cocoa that will be sold at a premium to supply chain partners.
- Off-setting: Where the sequestered carbon will be sold as credits on the carbon market.
These models will be compared on the cost, impact and revenue potential for both farmers and implementers.
Future Scale Up
The outcomes of this project will feed into our scale-up project: a circular cocoa facility. With Kumasi Drinks BV and supported by partners such as the Netherlands Development Agency (RVO), Chocolonely Foundation, supply chain partners, and clients, we will establish an industrial site close to Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, in 2025. This facility will produce cocoa juice and cocoa pods and other waste streams will be upcycled into pigments, sweeteners, building materials and biochar.