Chocolate comes from pods that grow on tropical trees, the Theobroma cacao tree, which is native to South America. The trees are also grown around the world, but particularly in West Africa, and is one cause of deforestation and habitat loss in the area.
How is chocolate grown?
Chocolate is grown in what is called a monocropping system, which involves cultivating a single crop in a specific area. This disrupts the natural order by destroying and limiting food and habitat for wildlife, including organisms in the soil. Using pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals, such as fertilisers, can also damage the soil and the organisms that live there. These chemicals can also pollute water and cause further damage to wildlife.
How does growing cocoa cause deforestation?
Around the world, nearly 80% of deforestation is caused by agriculture. Some of the crops that cause deforestation are soy, timber, and palm oil, but livestock is also drives deforestation.
In West Africa, deforestation is primarily caused by cocoa farming. Cocoa is Africa’s largest crop, with nearly 75% of the world’s cocoa being growing in four countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
While 26% of land is classified as forest in Africa, it is under threat partly due to agriculture. The Food and Agricultures Organization (FAO) found that nearly 4 million hectares of forest are being cut down in Africa every year, which is almost double the speed of deforestation in the rest of the world.
Producing cocoa is linked to 360,000 hectares of forest being lost in protected areas of Côte d’Ivoire, and 26,000 hectares in similar areas in Ghana, from 2000 to 2023. Experts estimate that Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have lost 90% and 65% of their forests, respectively, since 1950.
Much of the deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire is said to be illegal and due to cocoa farming. Farmers will clear forests to plant new trees instead of reusing land.
Do other ingredients cause deforestation?
West Africa is not the only place being affected by chocolate-related deforestation. The cocoa industry is driving deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia as well.
Tropical rainforests across Indonesia are being destroyed for agriculture. An area of 260,000 km2, or 80% of the original forest, has been ripped up or burnt due to farming. These processes release large amounts of greenhouse gases.1
The Indonesian rainforest is being replaced with oil palms that are laid out in neat rows. While they do absorb carbon dioxide, it is a much small quantity than the trees that made up the original forest. They also do not contain the vital elements that make a good habitat for all the animals that live there: food. Elephants, tigers, and rhinos are dying out as a result.1
The banned 2018 Christmas advert for the discount supermarket Iceland highlighted the issue of deforestation with orang-utans. While orang-utans are also hunted for their meat, they are now one of the world’s most endangered species due to habitat loss. Mothers teach their young where to find food in the trees; however, deforestation means that the places that the youngsters remember do not exist in the future.1
Farmers plant oil palms for their fruit, which is where we get palm oil. This oil is found in all sorts of products, such as biofuels and cosmetics. It can also be found in food, including soup, biscuits, and chocolate.1
How can we combat cocoa-related deforestation?
The European Union (EU), the world’s largest importer of cocoa, announced plans to ban products, including wood and food, from areas that are at risk from deforestation at COP26. They will require companies to prove that their products have not contributed to deforestation, legally or illegally.
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have also made strides to reduce deforestation. In 2017, the governments of these two countries partnered with 35 cocoa and chocolate companies to create the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI). The CFI have pledged to end deforestation and to restore forests.
Since then, Côte d’Ivoire have introduced a nationwide satellite system to monitor deforestation and pledged to increase forest cover to 20%. In 2020, Côte d’Ivoire took a step closer to completing their goal by planting nearly 10 million trees. Ghana has similar aspirations, and in the same year restored approximately 230,000 hectares of forest. The rest of the CFI have helped with these countries’ goals by sending over 10 million trees.
Other countries have been using the CFI as a model. The Colombian government and chocolate companies have signed the Cocoa, Forest & Peace Initiative (CB&P) to help stop deforestation due to cocoa production.
There are other ways to growing cocoa that supports biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, such as agroforestry. This involves planting cocoa trees among other trees and crops. There are numerous advantages for this, including sequestering carbon, regulating water, controlling erosion, improving soil health, and fixing nitrogen content. It can also support famers by diversifying their incomes and improving food security.
As consumers, we can also play a part in reducing cocoa-related deforestation. We can support sustainable chocolate companies and choose fair trade-certified products.
Read more:
- Masters, M. ‘The Earth is getting hotter’, 123 Seriously Smart Things You Need to Know About the Climate (2020) London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, pp.55-73.
