Commodity crops like cocoa and coffee are driving tropical deforestation on a devastating scale—rainforest cover in Côte d'Ivoire has been reduced by more than 80% since 1960 due to the cocoa industry. According to a report by Conservation International, coffee is expected to become a major driver of deforestation due to the change in suitable coffee growing lands. A Tulane University study found that 2.12 million child laborers worked in cocoa production in the 2013/2014 cocoa harvest season in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The same economic pressures drive deforestation and dependence on child labor for farmers in less developed countries.
There is an urgent need to develop resilient systems for crops like cacao and coffee that maintain tropical forests and biodiversity, boost local food security, revitalize livelihoods, and drawdown greenhouse gas emissions. We can reverse the damage we've done—and we can do it while we grow crops like coffee and cocoa. Fairtrade and agroforestry-based systems are two complementary pathways forward.
Date: October 31, 2017
Time: 1-2PM EST
