ICCF2023: Navigating the Future of Cocoa Sustainability

The International Cocoa and Chocolate Forum, ICCF2023, held over two insightful days, delved deep into the heart of the cocoa industry, addressing pressing issues and forging a path towards a more sustainable future. Organized by the International Cocoa Diplomacy (ICD), this conference served as a platform for the scholarly exchange of ideas, addressing the pressing challenges faced by the cocoa industry and paving the way towards a more sustainable future.

Exploring the Conference Theme

ICCF2023 was built around a central theme – “The new EU policy, its effect on cocoa-producing regions, and the way forward for the global cocoa trade and industry that supports transformation with regards to the resilience of cocoa farmers.” This overarching theme shaped the discussions and provided a robust framework for academic exploration. Under the overarching theme the conference was a confluence of knowledge, ideas, and a resounding call to action.

Day 1: Seeds of Transformation

On the first day of ICCF2023, Dr Oluseye Oludoye had the honor of being one of the keynote speakers on the first day, presenting on the topic of “Good Agricultural Practices for Sustainable and Quality Cocoa Production.” His presentation was a highlight, shedding light on essential practices for the sustainable and high-quality production of cocoa. Also, other speakers including Soji Sanyaolu, Patrick Adebola, Chantal Coady OBE, Lynn Lockwood, Carrie Pemberton Ford Ph.D., Lorna Marah, Lisette Davis, Gbolahan Peter Macjob, and Jules Achard, shared their expertise on topics ranging from “Good Agricultural Practices” to “Sustainable and Traceable Practices.” The day’s discourse explored critical issues, including “Addressing global resource gaps,” “Utilization of technology/AI and incentivizing new generation farmers,” “The role of media in bridging the gap between producing and consuming regions,” and “How to address social issues around slavery, human trafficking, child, and forced labor.”

Day 2: Unraveling Challenges and Opportunities

Day 2 marked a deep dive into the European Union’s Directive on Sustainable Cocoa (EUDR). The conference tackled EUDR compliance, the industry’s responsibility, and the timelines for its implementation. This day was instrumental in aligning the cocoa industry with evolving global policies and standards. The second day was equally remarkable, with Dr Oluseye Oludoye actively engaging in a roundtable discussion that centered around the theme “Social responsibility or social investment? Defining the role of key stakeholders along the cocoa value chain from production to consumption for positive social impact.” His insightful contributions added depth to the discussions on the crucial role of stakeholders in driving positive social change throughout the cocoa value chain.

Discussions didn’t stop there; they extended to examine the positive or lack of impact and effectiveness of sustainability labels, offering a critical assessment of investment opportunities within the global cocoa industry. A central theme revolved around redefining the role of key stakeholders along the cocoa value chain, shifting focus towards investment rather than purely social responsibility for a positive social impact. A pivotal question posed was whether achieving value addition in cocoa production regions was an achievable reality or a mere myth. Other second day’s discussant including Antonie Fountain, Robin Dand Fuad Mohammed Abubakar, Dela Akuffo, Lynn Lockwood, Carrie Pemberton Ford Ph.D., Soji Sanyaolu, Patrick Adebola, Jules Achard, Francis Anatogu, and Clay Gordon, delved into these discussions, closing the evening with a “Call to Action” Presentation of ICD.

A Transformative Conclusion: ICCF2023 and Beyond

The International Cocoa and Chocolate Forum, ICCF2023, was more than a conference; it was a catalyst for change. As the event came to a close, it left attendees inspired, informed, and motivated to drive positive transformations within the cocoa industry.

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Highlights

A new member of the Nudiviridae from the Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria)

Menippe mercenaria, the Florida stone crab, supports an unconventional fishery across the southern USA and Caribbean that involves claw-removal and the return of de-clawed animals to the sea. We provide pathological, ultrastructural, and genomic detail for a novel hepatopancreatic, nucleus-specific virus – Menippe mercenaria nudivirus (MmNV) – isolated from M. mercenaria, captured during fisheries-independent monitoring.

The virus has a genome of 99,336 bp and encodes 84 predicted protein coding genes and shows greatest similarity to Aratus pisonii nudivirus (ApNV) (<60% protein similarity and 31 shared genes of greatest similarity), collected from the Florida Keys, USA. MmNV is a member of the Gammanudivirus genus (Naldaviricetes: Lefavirales: Nudiviridae). Comparisons of virus genome size, preferred host environment, and gene number revealed no clear associations between the viral traits and phylogenetic position. Evolution of the virus alongside the diversification of host taxa, with the potential for host-switching, remain more likely evolutionary pathways.

A new member of the Nudiviridae from the Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) – ScienceDirect

In a recent “best-of-2022” release by the journal ‘ Trends in Parasitology’, Dr Jamie Bojko and colleagues’ contribution was highlighted as one of the most influential papers on parasitology. Their manuscript explores the history of microsporidian taxonomy, and provides an up-to-date perspective on well-studied species, highlighting the future of the field and how a stable taxonomy is needed to provide consensus information for all research teams involved, from human pathologists through to marine scientists.

Open access link: https://www.cell.com/trends/parasitology/collections/best-of-2022

 

New paper from Dr Kerry Pettigrew

Just Transition is a principle and strategy that ensures that the shift from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a sustainable, low-carbon economy is carried out in a fair and equitable manner, involving fair outcomes (Distributional justice), fair processes (Procedural justice), and fair and green employment (Restorative justice). This article, focusing on the Asia Pacific region, is the fourth to utilise our analytical approach of assessing and comparing national performance in just transition, using open-access global data from international organisations such as the UN and World Bank. We use indicators, selected to reflect energy behaviours and fairness in outcomes, processes and employment, to rank and compare nations’ performance on aspects of just transition, and to make policy suggestions based on the observed trends.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421523003932

Climate change is affecting the dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions depending on land use, a new study by Guo et al. (2023) has found.

Climate change is now a fact. Experts all over the world agree that we are going to suffer more frequent extreme weather. This is then more frequent heavy rain leading in many cases to severe flooding, and more frequent heat waves leading to severe droughts. Water is a main factor affecting soil biogeochemistry, so these changing soil conditions (prolonged flooding and flooding-drying) were the main driver of the study, including land-use change. The study was conducted by a group of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional scientists leaded by Prof Sami Ullah and Dr Yafei Guo from the University of Birmingham (Biogeochemists), Dr Ernesto Saiz from Teesside University (Biogeochemist), Dr Aleks Radu from Lincoln University (Chemist), and Prof Sameer Sonkusale from Tufts University (Engineer). Also, this study was used for testing new sensor prototypes for continuous monitoring of soil ions (potassium, ammonium, nitrate, and pH). The findings suggest that extreme weather and land-use should be consider for the calculations of the Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2023.e00697

Human travel and transport has resulted in the introduction of several ‘invasive’ species to new global locations. In one instance, trade routes across Europe have moved freshwater crustaceans from the Ponto-Caspian region (Ukraine/western Russia/etc.) to lakes and rivers across Poland, Germany, France and more. The “tank shrimp” Pontogammarus robustoides, is one such invasive species – it has significant impacts on the ecosystems that it invades. In this case, we conducted a parasitological screening study to look for diseases that this amphipod might carry. We found a huge range of new parasites, from viruses and bacteria to large worms and other parasites. Now that we know of these parasites, we can consider their potential risk to new ecosystems if this species makes it way to other sites, potentially including the invasion of the UK, following in the footsteps of the killer and demon shrimp.

Click here for link to read more:

Histopathological screening of Pontogammarus robustoides (Amphipoda), an invader on route to the United Kingdom – ScienceDirect

One of nature’s most intriguing species is the pangolin. It is the size of a small dog, covered in scales with a tail like a dinosaur, powerful claws, a long snout, no teeth and a very long serpentine tongue. Pangolins eat ants, termites, and larvae that they pick up using their sticky tongues. To protect themselves from predators, they will curl into a tight ball and will use their sharp-scaled tails to defend themselves. Worldwide, there are eight species, four in Africa and four in Asia with some species living on the ground and others occurring in trees. Sadly, they are regarded as the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, as they are considered culturally significant in Africa and Asia due to their unique appearance and habits. In 2017, a ban on international commercial trade of all eight species took effect. However, despite this, nearly 70 countries and territories have been involved in the illegal pangolin trade in the last decade. A recent news article details how an undercover sting outwitted pangolin traffickers (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66375281).

To learn more about these fascinating creatures check out some books that Dr Desiré Dalton (Lecturer, Teesside University) has contributed to (https://shop.elsevier.com/books/pangolins/challender/978-0-12-815507-3 and http://opus.sanbi.org/jspui/handle/20.500.12143/8591) or have a look at her research (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27510566/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28177847/).

Dr Ernesto Saiz has visited the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BiFOR) free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) experiment located in Staffordshire. He was accompanied by some of the PIs of the project he is involved in: Prof Sami Ullah (University of Birmingham) and Prof Sameer Sonkusale (Tufts University), in addition to some other researchers, and a distinguished visiting fellow from the University of Delaware Prof Delphis F. Levia. The main objective was to show the engineers (from Tufts) in-situ what are the main characteristics of the soil (texture and moisture) where the prototypes developed will be deployed. With this visit the engineers can now make the final modifications needed for the device to work wireless in the field. The state-of-the-art sensor probe will be capable of continuous monitoring of potassium, ammonium, nitrate and pH in the soil.

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Pompeii is often described as a place frozen in time, when in October 79AD, Vesuvius  erupted and plunged the surrounding areas into darkness for three days, ash and pumice rained down on pompeii.

The site is vast and amazing, covering well over 60 hectares, and walking around today really feels as if you could be back in Roman times. The site has been under investigation for approx three hundred years, but is continually coming up with amazing finds, such as the pizza painting, and further information can be found here youtube clip.

This summer, has been one of the hottest on record, (and it was 35oC when I visited) and Pompeii is trialing modern technologies to help monitor and guard against possible damage from climate change.

The visit really helped develop thoughts and comparisons with other sites, and I am looking forward to using these images in my teaching sessions, where we explore monitoring techniques at different archaeological sites.

Dr Gillian Taylor

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