This past weekend we honored World Rainforest Day on June 22nd. This day reminds us to consider the importance of rainforests to our world, to cacao, and how we are encouraging their thriving.
We’re sharing how regenerative cacao farming practices help preserve this precious ecosystem and we’re spotlighting rainforest conservation organizations you can support. We also have updates on how our farming communities in Belize are doing after the wildfires.
World Rainforest Day
World Rainforest Day is an excellent time to connect with the magnificence of rainforests and how integral they are to the health of our planet! Rainforests are the world’s oldest living ecosystems and the home of the cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to the rainforests of South America and they grow best in the partial shade of large rainforest trees. In celebration of rainforests, here are some fascinating stats:
- Tropical rainforests cover less than 3% of the planet, yet they are home to more than half our planet’s terrestrial animal species
- Rainforest plants are used in some of the world’s most important, life-saving medicines.
- A fifth of Earth’s freshwater is found in the Amazon rainforest.
How Regenerative Agroforestry Of Cacao Supports the Rainforest
- Agroforestry is defined by the USDA as “the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.”
- Regenerative agriculture “takes a systems-based, holistic look at the land being stewarded and applies various principles with the goal of making the land more productive and biodiverse over time.” - Kiss The Ground
Here’s how regenerative agroforestry practices are applied to cacao farming:
- Cacao is an understory tree, so it lends itself well to polyculture agroforestry systems that produce abundant food staples and simultaneously offer ecosystem services such as habitat and buffer areas to intact rainforest areas.
- Growing cacao in diverse agroforestry systems, rather than simply on a monoculture plantation (where the cacao for most chocolate is sourced from), is a fantastic method for protection and regeneration of tropical rainforest ecosystems.
- The cacao harvest alone can provide enough cash for farmers to support them with a good living while they operate in harmony with and protect the diverse life of the rainforest.
Cacao grown using regenerative agroforestry practices not only supports local environments and communities but also contributes to the sustainability and biodiversity of rainforests worldwide. For a deeper dive, you can read more about organic & regenerative cacao principles here.
How You Can Support The Rainforests
There are many organizations supporting wonderful rainforest initiatives & below are a few of our favorites.
Reputable organizations include:
Here’s a fun challenge! … if you happen to be an Amazon Prime subscriber (many of us are), try matching your monthly Prime subscription amount with a recurring monthly donation to a nonprofit conserving the Amazon Rainforest.
Your donations support the ongoing thriving of this essential ecosystem!
Updates on Our Farming Communities In Belize Post Wildfires
We recently shared in our newsletter and social media about the devastating wildfires that affected many of the cacao farms in Belize. Since then the fires have thankfully been quelled and efforts towards restoration are underway. Sadly, over 42,000 acres burned. Here are some updates on how our farming communities were impacted:
- So far, we know that 36 cacao farms have been lost. There might be more as our partners on the ground make their way to assess.
- For those farmers, it will be several years before newly planted trees produce cacao.
- Farmers’ top requests for support are for seedlings to plant new cacao trees and farmer income support (they don’t have access to insurance)
We thankfully received a shipment of cacao beans from Belize prior to this crisis, so we will have stock of Boundless Belize for the near future. We cherish every sip, honoring the efforts of the farmers who have brought this cacao to us, and elevate our gratitude with our prayers for bountiful harvests for them to come.
How You Can Support Our Belize Farmers
We’re so grateful for all of your support and contributions to our Farmer Climate Resiliency Fund. So far, we raised over $2,000 to send to farmers who have been impacted!
If you’d like to continue to donate to support these farmers in replanting cacao seedlings and growing into the next generation of Boundless Belize, see our Farmer Climate Resiliency Fund link here.
