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The Inquiry: Is climate change impacting chocolate production?

Is climate change impacting chocolate production? Image with BBC blocks

28/03/2024 GMT

Is climate change impacting chocolate production?

BBC World Service - The Inquiry, Is climate change impacting chocolate production?

Is the global chocolate market under threat?

Are changing weather patterns disrupting global chocolate supplies?

For centuries chocolate has had a global appeal, the key ingredient of this confectionery is derived from the dried and fully fermented seed of the Theobroma cacao, whose origins began in northern Amazonia.  From this tree, both cocoa solids and cocoa butter can be extracted to form the basis of chocolate. 

Today, it’s the West African countries of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana that produce the bulk of the world’s supply of cocoa beans. But in recent years hotter temperatures and shifts in rainfall patterns have impacted cocoa harvests particularly in this region.  And now the global  price of this key ingredient has roughly doubled since the start of last year, fuelling concern that demand could outweigh supply.
 
Cocoa farming itself is mainly small scale and these farmers are at the bottom end of the value chain when it comes to profits. But whilst many of the major chocolate manufacturers do invest in the industry, with support for improved planting and harvesting techniques, farming sustainably is just one of a number of challenges that these small farmers face.  

So on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Is climate change impacting chocolate production?’ 

Contributors: 
Dr Katie Sampeck, British Academy Global Professor of Historical Archaeology, University of Reading, England
Philip Antwi-Agyei, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana 
Steffany Bermúdez, Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Canada
Yunusa Abubakar, Project Manager, International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Côte d’Ivoire

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Matt Toulson
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Hal Haines
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey

Image by grafvision via Getty Images

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