Organic cocoa from smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone

Thanks to a partnership with Lizard Earth, PRONATEC is now sourcing cocoa directly from Sierra Leone in West Africa for the first time. This young and innovative company is based in Kenema in the east of the country and has had organic certification since the end of 2020. The organic cocoa, grown under an agroforestry system, is bringing hope to the district of Kailahun on the border with Liberia and is valued for its good quality and low cadmium content.

About 70% of the population of Sierra Leone live in extreme poverty and have to survive on less than one US dollar a day. So it is all the more important to guarantee people an additional, secure income by encouraging sustainable ways of doing business. Lizard Earth’s project with small farmers is helping the local population to see a real benefit from growing cocoa because it offers stable and fair purchasing terms. Lizard Earth not only handles the marketing and sale of all the cocoa beans but also organises training courses for the farming families and actively engages them in the production process.

Growing cocoa in agroforestry

Lizard Earth has signed exemplary leasing agreements for 30 years with families that own mostly fallow areas of land throughout the region of Kailahun on the border with Liberia, where the project is based. These so-called “cocoa gardens” are cultivated under an agroforestry system. They cover about 500 hectares and are managed on socially responsible production and governance principles. Lizard Earth also purchases organic cocoa beans from other cocoa gardens which are owned by smallholder farmers and managed by them. Last season, these farmers were given valuable support in planting 140 hectares of land with cocoa gardens. For example, they were offered planting sacks, seedlings and technical expertise.

Cocoa gardens are gradually handed over

For the first 15 years, Lizard Earth’s leased cocoa gardens will be run in close cooperation with local smallholder farmers (known as “agri-entrepreneurs”). Following this period of building up experience, it is envisaged that the new agroforestry cocoa gardens will be handed over to individual specially trained and particularly committed smallholder farmers known as Master Growers, for a further 15 years. By making this long-term investment in local farmers, Lizard Earth aims to give an impetus to the more sustainable development of agriculture in Sierra Leone. Lizard Earth will continue to be responsible for harvesting, processing, fermentation and logistics, to ensure that the efficient processes and excellent quality of the cocoa beans are maintained.

Doing business as equals, thanks to knowledge of local culture

The Lizard Earth enterprise was founded in 2018 and is run by Daniel Scholler, a German who has lived in Sierra Leone for the last eight years. As the founder and managing director of Lizard Earth, Daniel Scholler makes it a high priority to involve the local people and take account of local customs and needs, at every stage of the project. Because the traditional village institutions are consistently included in the decision-making processes, the project is generally well-accepted by the local population. In 2021, Lizard Earth had 21 employees and sold cocoa beans for about 1,580 small farmers in 34 villages.

Pesticide-free farming and low cadmium content

Unlike in other West African countries, virtually no pesticides are used in Sierra Leone. The farmers are often simply too poor to afford them. When it comes to growing organic cocoa, that gives the country a clear advantage: cross-contamination with pesticides from adjacent neighbouring plantations which may be farmed using conventional methods is kept to an absolute minimum. Another advantage is the very low cadmium content of cocoa from West Africa.

Organic certification in a very challenging environment

At the end of 2020, in very difficult circumstances, Lizard Earth gained its organic certification. Because of the travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, for months no accredited experts could enter the country to carry out the organic audit and confirm the organic certification. Over the next few years, Lizard Earth also wants to get Fairtrade certification.

Protective mantle round the edge of the Gola Rainforest National Park

Several of the village communities involved in the project are located on the edge of the Gola Rainforest National Park or in the protective belt around it. Lizard Earth makes every effort to ensure that the new cocoa gardens strengthen the protective belt or even provide additional protection. It works with village communities and environmental specialists to identify protected zones that will further reinforce the protective belt. It goes without saying that under no circumstances may existing forested areas be cleared to make space for new cocoa gardens.

A promising start and good-quality cocoa

It is still very early days for this promising project in Sierra Leone. Lizard Earth was only able to harvest its first cocoa beans in 2021 and then ship them to Europe. Following extensive testing, we are pleased to report that the quality of the cocoa beans from this admirable project meets our high standards and so we can continue with further processing.