Case Study: Eco Cacao
Case Study: Eco Cacao
About the project
About the project
In the initial phase of this pilot, we are partnering with high-end chocolate brands in California such as Imlak’esh Organics and Endorfin Foods, as well as Eco Cacao and its parent organization UOPRACAE, a co-operative of approximately 120 farmers from the Esmeraldas region in Ecuador. We hold the intention of scaling this effort to thousands of cacao farmers worldwide.
Our partner in running this pilot is Terra Genesis International, who has been helping Eco Cacao train their farmers on regenerative practices and establish the first regenerative cacao certification.
Ecological contex
Abundant monoculture crops to supply high global demand, severely degraded land and ecosystem.
Challenges
Regen Network approach
Verification of claims. Example: “The xx parcel is polyculture cacao”
Remote sensing verification
Using remote sensing based algorithms provided by Regen Network, Eco Cacao can verify their implementation of polyculture vs. monoculture practices within cacao farms. Additionally, other land cover classes related to land use management and ecosystems health can now be identified with high accuracy, and provide additional insights into each farm’s vegetation cover.
Qualitative: Detection of cacao monoculture vs. polyculture, primary and secondary tropical forests, mangroves, monoculture of African palm, Balsa and Teak, open water, constructions and other land uses.
Quantitative: The area (i.e. number of hectares) per land cover class within each farm is identified with a 93% overall accuracy.
Project-based funding and premium payment for high quality regeneratively grown cacao.
Project-based funding via Regen Registry + Regen Ledger
Project-based funding via Regen Registry + Regen Ledger
Creating a project on Regen Registry and storing monitoring data as immutable records on Regen Ledger which provides an important layer of transparency and accountability to funders.
Project page on Regen Registry targeted to go live in Q4. Regen Ledger integration to be added in subsequent phase.
Creating a dedicated carbon offset methodology for tropical agroforestry systems and offering carbon offsets as additional revenue stream to premiums; Launching the Project Page on Regen Registry and getting much needed funds to these cacao growers!
Conclusion
Remote sensing is a cost-effective way to verify regenerative practices within tropical agroforestry systems on a large scale. Further, using project-based funding with bespoke verification can provide an alternative route to funding this important regenerative work. This work supports the financial well-being of farmers and producers, and the viability of communities in Ecuador where cacao producers often struggle with low margins, pressure from development, and increasing climate-related risks and costs. This project incentivizes a shift towards ecologically sound practices, resulting in healthy land, cleaner water, cleaner air, and the mitigation of climate change.
Future program development will focus on streamlining the verification process, growing market demand for regenerative cacao and creating incentives for landscape-scale regeneration based on a broader suite of land management practices inclusive of conservation and restoration priorities as well as diverse forms of regenerative agricultural production.
Conclusion
Remote sensing is a cost-effective way to verify regenerative practices within tropical agroforestry systems on a large scale. Further, using project-based funding with bespoke verification can provide an alternative route to funding this important regenerative work. This work supports the financial well-being of farmers and producers, and the viability of communities in Ecuador where cacao producers often struggle with low margins, pressure from development, and increasing climate-related risks and costs. This project incentivizes a shift towards ecologically sound practices, resulting in healthy land, cleaner water, cleaner air, and the mitigation of climate change.
Future program development will focus on streamlining the verification process, growing market demand for regenerative cacao and creating incentives for landscape-scale regeneration based on a broader suite of land management practices inclusive of conservation and restoration priorities as well as diverse forms of regenerative agricultural production.
