The concept of monocultures is a remnant of modernity's logic. In Central and West Africa, this logic can be observed in the endless plantations of cash crops such as rubber, coffee, cocoa, bananas, and so on.

This monocultural logic is based on the flawed economic idea which says that uniformity and yield maximisation are the key ingredients of profit-maximisation. In this production paradigm, all living matter and all ecosystem factors that limit direct yield maximisation are literally erased from the system – destroyed.

Today, we know that this simplistic economic model is obsolete. Isn't the value of the ecosystem services generated by intact biomes much higher than that of any profit gained from the monocultures which used to replace them? Yes it is.

Knowing this, the CocoaMasters are developing farming systems which both generate the desired product – cocoa seeds – while maintaining a maximum of ecosystem services. These systems consist of agroforestry complexes that are extremely well-integrated within the larger ecosystem. The cocoa coming from these complexes is of a better quality than that generated from monocultures. What is more, over the long term the cocoa trees are much more resilient than those found in uniform plantations, as the risk of catastrophic virus and disease outbreaks is limited.

We believe that soon there will be a thriving market explicitly valueing ecosystem services like biodiversity, the production of clean water, carbon sequestration and the beauty of intact natural landscapes like rainforests. We are ambitious: we are the first to invest in this future.