Working towards sustainable, certified cocoa in collaboration with farmers and government
Since 2011, Rikolto has cooperated with Mitra Agribisnis Mandiri Union in Polewali Mandar to build a solid cocoa farmers community. In planting cocoas, the implementation of GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) is a significant part that needs to be done as a way to increase the harvest’s production, quality, and farmer’s life.
RIKOLTO
Cocoa farms need preservation before, during, and after the harvest season. However, another issue that has to be solved is the waste management of cocoa pod shells in cocoa farms as a result of the production process.
Our team flew to Polewali Mandar in West Sulawesi to record and interview the local farmers experiencing the Valuable Feed Concentrate program. We collaborated with them in communicating the importance and advantage of waste management and documenting the process of utilizing the cocoa pods’ shells for the greater good. The waste of cocoa pod shells which were the result of companion plants’ includes substances that are valuable as animal feed ingredients. As a result, the program not only successfully becomes a solution for waste management, but also adds economic value for the stockbreeding of the farmers.
The wonderful scenes of Polewali’s natural beauty and the excitement of local farmers enlightened us during the working process. We understand how meaningful this movement is to support and ease their farm activities. We decided to combine the clips with a storytelling narration and illustrative infographic to help the farmers and all stakeholders simply understand the essence and purpose of the program. With this matter, we were glad that we had an opportunity to spread the message through a distributed video that will support the work of many farmers.
