cocoa cocoa baby.. SAP's in the French Ivory Coast (a photographic journey).
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This page contains a single entry by weath086 published on December 7, 2011 10:00 PM.
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What would happen to the people in this area of the world if chocolate consumption stopped?
I don't think it is about the stoppage of coco consumption, it is about how it is being farmed, consumed and the socioeconomic/gendered/racial implications of our current economic and trade systems.
I think the fair trade movement is gaining ground, but how do you guys think we can ensure it doesnt become a social fade like "organic" or "green" has becoming a popularized marketing tool? How do we achieve true & lasting fair trade policies, especially since fair trade and truly organic can be VERY expensive to purchase?
Are there activist groups working towards providing justice for this community and if so, have they made any leeway?
To be honest I do not know. If cocoa production ended then the source of income for a lot of people would be over with. And as much as the slave labor that goes into it is unacceptable and horrifying, not having a job for many of the Ivoirians would be much worse. Keep in mind that coffee and cocoa are the principal exports from the Ivory Coast, therefore the sustenance of their economy; to stop that would mean to almost kill their economy. This is the horror of depending on the developed world to support you. And if there was no cocoa production that would mean that paying off the SAP's would also not be possible. It is a vicious cycle.
Are there any products that consumers can buy that will substitute the cocoa? People are still going to want chocolate.
Is there a way to structure SAPs to better help the Ivory Coast? If it was thought that doing so would be beneficial to the Ivory Coast, but would increase the cost of cocoa do you think the IMF and World Bank would go for it? What would it take?