Botanical scientists discuss the potential of cocoa

Say that the crop could be a model for environmental, social and economic growth.

06/09/05 In the first meeting of its kind, botanical scientists from the internationally renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew held a series of discussions with key scientists from global food manufacturer, Mars Incorporated, to share scientific information and discuss potential collaborations on a very interesting agricultural crop - cocoa. Scientists discussed emerging evidence suggesting that cocoa could become a role model for sustainable agriculture as a driver for economic, environmental and social progress in the critical and fragile tropical regions of the world. A review of the scientific research on the value added health benefits of cocoa flavanols provided additional support for this novel concept.

The two-day conference, held at London's Kew Gardens in August, could lay the foundation for a new mutually beneficial research-based partnership between the two organisations. "We hope to further develop a collaboration with Mars, as I believe that our knowledge about plant chemistry and nutritional values complements the research that Mars is currently undertaking," commented Professor Monique Simmonds, science co-ordinator for the Jodrell Laboratory at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

"We would like to find out more from Mars about the agricultural sustainability issues facing cocoa and how the company deals with these. It is critical that we look at sustainability as it is so important for so many of our plants. Examples of successes in this area can help us enormously."

Mars has a successful history of forming public-private partnerships; for example it has set up unique initiatives with the US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Washington D.C. and the Reading University Intermediate Quarantine Facility. Its most notable effort, however, is the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), a public-private partnership between the global chocolate industry and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, which is supported by US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID). This programme aims to increase the incomes and quality of life of West Africa's estimated two million cocoa farmers, while preserving the environmental stability of the region.

During the RBG Kew meeting, Mars presented results of some of the STCP activities. Especially interesting are the successful initial pilot cocoa farmer training programmes that have led to some farmers experiencing increased profits of between 20 and 50 per cent. Cocoa farmers constantly face many challenges such as pests and disease, aging cocoa trees, soil erosion and the fluctuating cocoa economy. The programme aims to help farmers to generate greater crop diversity to increase economic stability.

Dr Harold Schmitz, Chief Science Officer for Mars, believes that partnering with the right organisations is the only way forward for achieving goals successfully. He said: "The steps required from scientific discoveries to delivery of real benefits to farmers and consumers are many and complex, and demand expertise and contributions from diverse disciplines and organizations. We have spent years to achieve scientific breakthroughs in terms of our work with sustainable agriculture and the health benefits associated with cocoa flavanols, and now it is time to focus on translating these breakthroughs into real benefits for farmers and consumers."

Most recently, cocoa flavanols - a group of compounds naturally found in cocoa - have displayed potential to improve blood flow in human clinical studies. Additional work by Mars suggests this class of compounds may provide the basis for new medicines to help treat cardiovascular disease diabetes and vascular dementia in the future.

Further scientific evidence on the health benefits of cocoa flavanols and the cocoa sustainability research efforts will be presented at an international symposium on Cocoa, Flavanols and Cardiovascular Health: Translating Fundamental Science into Nutrition Action, which will be held in Durban, South Africa, on 19th September.

RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003.