Cocoa Plantations

Plantations composed of just one species of cocoa beans are fairly rare. Even single trees with all the characteristics of a specific type are rare. Uniformity exists only where cacao plantations have been developed from the rooted branch cuttings of single mother trees.

In recent years, cacao growers have turned increasingly to hybridization as a means of improving the quality of the bean and making it more disease resistant. Scientists using state-of-the-art biotechnology techniques are also trying to improve the quality of cacao and its resistance to disease.

Despite these advances in biotechnology, most of the world's cocoa is still grown on small farms, not large plantations. According to the International Cocoa Organization, 2.5 million farmers produce almost 90 percent of the world's cocoa on 5-10 acre holdings. Typically, cocoa is the family's main source of cash. Cocoa therefore provides important income for small farmers in developing economies all over the world. Cocoa is harvested twice a year.