Organic Cocoa Value Chain Sustainability: The Perception of São Tomé and Príncipe’s Stakeholders

Abstract

Cocoa farming in São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) faces several challenges due to its poor socioeconomic context, the adverse impact of climate changes, the complex and limited access to global value chains, and worldwide demand pressure for higher cocoa quality and productivity. This exploratory research investigates potential pathways to a more sustainable organic cocoa (OC) production in STP by mapping the perceptions of the stakeholders involved in its value chain. Qualitative interviews, field observation, and focus group discussions were applied to understand how sustainability dimensions, drivers, impacts, and challenges of OC are perceived and how these three dimensions can be improved and balanced. The gathered perceptions are rather diverse, reflecting the stakeholders’ position and knowledge of the specific contexts and processes. Producers do not perceive how governance is adopting new organizational structures or practices that allow for an effective sustainability improvement. Most stakeholders recognize that market-related factors drive the sustainability adoption and that financing-related constraints challenge their wide implementation. There are trade-offs and power asymmetries in the OC value chain, which manifest differently, due to the governance approaches, processes, overall regulations, and training of producers. An alignment of perceptions and activities as well as a stronger cooperation between cooperatives, private firms, and public institutions is strongly recommended.

Sustainability evaluation of a smallholder cocoa plantation on the Sebatik Island, Indonesia, using a multidimensional scaling approach

“…Furthermore, some of them described the sustainable condition of smallholder cocoa plantations on the Sebatik Island. The assessment or score for each attribute was determined based on field surveys, interactive discussions with experts, information from relevant agencies and institutions, literature studies, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and selected scientific journals (Hidayanto et al, 2009;Sriwana et al, 2017;Prazeres, Lucas and Marta-Costa, 2022).…”

Geographical Indications as an Added Value Strategy for São Tomé and Príncipe Organic Cocoa

“…However, despite measures to support its production, which is viewed as a valuable national development strategy, the small producers who underwrite it and their two associated cooperatives face several difficulties. Some struggles are related to the socioeconomic context, to the adverse impact of climate changes, to the complex and limited access to global value chains, and to the worldwide demand pressure for higher cocoa quality and productivity [6,7]. Others adversities are the market price instability which is dependent of the cocoa world market prices and the lack of premium price in the domestic market, even though cocoa is a product with organic value-adding characteristics and attributes.…”

“…This may have effects on cultural diversification, health control and ecosystem services and, consequently, economic independence, increased profitability and well-being of producers, as well environmental benefits. Finally, according to Prazeres et al [7] and in line with GI development, it is worth to mention the need to create an Organic Cocoa Board, which would have custody of the policy development and management of cocoa sustainability-related interventions and policies. This would include GI and all organic cocoa policies and their added value strategy as well as an overseeing of it all.…”

Organic cocoa farmer’s strategies and sustainability

“…The lack of an approach to social sustainability in studies on developing countries, where poverty is the most serious problem, could compromise the performance of the two others pillars (Prazeres et al, 2022a), since the relationships among the three dimensions is generally assumed to be compatible and mutually supportive (Boström, 2012;Chopin et al, 2021).…”