Shade-Grown Cacao? This Pricey Treat Is Actually Good for the Planet

"In Ecuador’s Amazon region, above the banks of the swirling Aguarico River, Luis Chamba grows cacao - the basis of chocolate and cocoa butter - on his family’s tiny finca.

The furrowed, football-shaped cacao pods flourish under a steamy canopy of banana trees, balsam, cedar, and other local plants. Chickens strut and cluck, and a dog naps under the house on stilts that Chamba shares with his parents and his sister.

This farming method, known as “shade-grown,” is touted by premium chocolatiers. But why is it good for the environment?

A review of 16 studies from Africa and South America found that shade-grown cacao promotes biodiversity (a variety of species in an ecosystem), improves soil fertility, provides a habitat for plant and animals, and creates corridors between forests that migratory birds and insects travel along."

Vanessa Hua reports for the Washington Post December 8, 2015.