THE COMMODITY ISSUE
fresh land. Concerned by this encroachment, in
2015 Burung Indonesia (BirdLife Partner) started
researching new ways for villagers to make a
living without harming the forest. Cocoa wasn’t
the only option on the table, but in the end, it
turned out to be the best solution – as long as it
was farmed in a different way from before.
The following year Burung Indonesia, working
hand in hand with BirdLife Asia and the
Indonesian Government, invited six villages
(including Makarti Jaya) to take part in a new
agroforestry scheme. This initiative has gone
on to transform both landscapes and lives.
Trained and empowered by the new Learning
and Business Centre, farmers now plant native
trees and cocoa shrubs alongside food crops,
allowing livestock to loll in the shade beneath
the branches. The mosaic of different species
forms its own self-sustaining mini-ecosystem.
Animal dung and cocoa waste become
organic fertilizer, and a new “pod-wrapping”
From bean to bar:
cocoa in various stages of
preparation in Makarti Jaya
village
All photos Burung
Indonesia
0
THIS
YEAR, COCOA
PRODUCTION WAS
LISTED AS ONE OF
THE TOP EIGHT
COMMODITIES
DRIVING TROPICAL
DEFORESTATION
technique has reduced pest attacks by 90%. This
breakthrough has increased yields and greatly
reduced the need for artificial pesticides.
In return for these benefits, farmers must agree
to forego hunting, logging and the excessive
use of agricultural chemicals – and, above all,
never to expand their land. Thankfully, they no
longer need to. Not only are they selling more
cocoa, but they are also getting double the price
for their beans. In Makarti Jaya, the quality is so
high that it has attracted the attention of Fossa
Chocolate – a boutique chocolatier that crafts
single-source chocolate from scratch.
“We were impressed by the quality of the
Makarti Jaya cacao,” says Jay Chua, founder of
Fossa Chocolate. “It was well fermented, dried
and sorted, fully showcasing the techniques
of the farmers.” A far cry from cocoa that, up
until three years ago, did not even meet the
Indonesian National Standard. In March this year,
Fossa Chocolate released a bar made exclusively
from Makarti Jaya cacao. Fossa chose to call the
bar ‘Burung’ (‘bird’ in Indonesian) to celebrate
the endemic birds of Sulawesi who benefit from
this programme.
“After optimising our roast profile for the Makarti
Jaya cacao, we managed to bring out delicious
olive, tamarind and raspberries characters in
the chocolate,” says Chua. If this description
is making your mouth water, you’re not the
only one – and while you enjoy the delicious
taste, you can take comfort in the fact that the
chocolate you are eating benefits both birds
and people. As the world wakes up to the need
for economic change, this project is a fantastic
example of business and nature working hand in
hand. Through our work with industries such as
cocoa, rubber [see page 30] and coffee, BirdLife
is proud to be part of that change.
Buy the ‘Burung’ bar at:
www.fossachocolate.com
JUL-SEP 2019 • BIRDLIFE
27