From 2 to 11 June, the ‘Juntos Somos Verde’ festival took place at the Ágora Mall shopping centre in Santo Domingo.
The aim of this festival is to raise awareness among the general public about managing and consuming our natural resources sustainably and to encourage changes in behaviour that enable people to interact with the environment in more eco-friendly way.
As part of the festival, the Cacao Forest project was invited to give a talk on Friday 9 June on the advantages of agroforestry systems in cacao cultivation, which was delivered by the project’s general coordinator Sebastián Cárdenas.
In his presentation, Sebastián Cárdenas explained the main characteristics and advantages of agroforestry systems. Agroforestry is in fact the traditional method of cacao growing in the Dominican Republic.
Thanks to the organoleptic properties of the cacao grown here, the Dominican Republic is today the leader on the international organically produced cocoa market. However, it is essential to improve the technical skills of producers and the way they manage cacao plantations to ensure a better quality of life for families who earn their living from cocoa and to reduce the impact of diseases such as Monilinia blight.
Through its participation in the ‘Juntos Somos Verde’ festival, the Cacao Forest project is stepping up its commitment to help innovate to ensure that cacao cultivation in the Dominican Republic is sustainable.
