Help has sailed in

Ocean Classroom spent a week helping the cocoa farmers of Grenada.  Fifty students worked side by side with local agricultural students to clear brush, plant cocoa trees, 

harvest cocoa pods, help in the fermentation process, and make cocoa balls.

Pick up time early in the a.m., everybody is ready to work.

Bagging dried cocoa...

After clearing the bush, the students planted 100 trees ,.... in one morning.

 A well deserved soak in the cool water.

Cocoa propagation: Grafting versus Cuttings

A goal of the Cocoa Farming Future Initiative (CFFI) is to help organize and make more efficient the cocoa production in existing nurseries.

The nurseries propagate various fruit trees mostly for farmers. The Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA) provides assistance to three governmental nurseries for the production of cocoa plants, namely in: Boulogne (parish of Saint Andrew), Ashendem (parish of Saint Davis), and Maren (parish of Saint John).

Most cocoa plants are produced by means of cuttings, providing clones of the various species existing on the island.

Cuttings being planted (Ashendem)

Cocoa cuttings

      

The Cocoa Research Centre located at the University of the West Indies (Trinidad) explains the positive effect of grafting compared to cuttings. 

Grafted or budded plants have a tap root system that can go up to 2 meters in depth. This anchors the tree in the ground, providing needed resistance towards hurricanes. Furthermore, it enables the tree to absorb nutrient and water from deeper in the soil, giving trees stronger health and resilience to erratic weather conditions. Cuttings have fibrous root system that do not go as deep into the soil and provide trees suitable for flat land.

Grafted cocoa sapling

This is why, the GCA started small-scale trials to find best ways of grafting cocoa plants Ashendem.  

CFFI wants to give its support in the trials and hope to be able to set some trials in the nursery of Maren with the support of the GCA 

as soon as possible.                                                  

Yours,

Vincent

Winter Fundraiser

Cocoa Farming Future Initiative

Winter Fundraiser!

We Are The Nonprofit 

Cocoa Farming Future Initiative

Working To Support The Cocoa Farmers Of Grenada

Where The Sun And The Earth Combine To Produce 

The World’s Most Flavorful Cocoa,

The Basis For The Chocolate We Love. 

Farmers world-wide work to obtain a balance of conditions which will produce a plentiful harvest. In Grenada in recent years this has been more difficult due to hurricane damage and a lack of infrastructure. CFFI is working to support farmers by clearing storm debris, increasing crop yields and facilitating harvest transportation. We also work with farm community youth and women to develop marketable goods to supplement family incomes and improve standards of living.

It's A New Year And A Lot Has Happened.

If You Haven't Seen Our New Blog

Or Gone To The Website Lately...

We Have Some Exciting New Ideas 

That We Would Like Your Help With. 

We are reaching out to you today to help us with our farming ventures, education and job-skills training.

By donating you will have a direct impact on the lives of men, women and children farming in their communities. For example, donating $25 buys work boots, cocoa saplings, water jugs, simple tools like notebooks, pens, erasers, or calculators all of which are important to helping our community become more independent. Donating $50-$100 provides farming tools, wheelbarrows, or sewing kits. Donating $100-$300 buys a bicycle, a sewing machine, or a carpentry kit to help a family become more financially secure. With a generous donation of $500 or more you could provide enough funds to hire a laborer and help him feed his family. These are just a few of our new ideas of how you can help improve the quality of life in a cocoa farming community of Grenada….  

We would really appreciate your help...

To donate click on this link to our website:

http://cffigrenada.org/CFFI_donate.html

All donations made through our fundraising campaign are considered gifts to 

CFFI's global mission. 

Helping farmers there helps the whole planet.

http://cffigrenada.blogspot.com

http://cffigrenada.org

Holiday Fashion Show

Vacation for a Change

Winter is coming,

days are short.

Why shovel snow,

when you could be picking cocoa?

Work together with the farmers

harvesting their cocoa in the

 paradis de l'ile aux epices! 

You'll learn how to ferment and shuffle cocoa...

Take day trips with CFFI guides to St. George and the beach, or

walk in the rain forest to the water falls...

You can make cocoa balls with Missis Agatha...

or go fishing with the locals...

and enjoy the tastes and sights of island life...

Proposed trip dates 2013

January 20-27

February 17-24 (optional extra week of work & Carnival)

March 10-17

Space is limited to seven guests on each trip.

For more information contact:

Dorise Kowalewski

doko@cffigrenada.org

603-863-6366

See www.cffigrenada.org to read about our mission.

While the cocoa pods are growing….

We are organizing our wares for the 

Christmas Market with a Difference

Shake, shake from the Bolly tree…

Vetiver sachet

Bundles of calabash

Cocoa tea anybody?

Cocoa Tea recipe from Diamond Estate Grenada

Cocoa tea is a rich, local breakfast drink. In olden times, tiny flour

dumplings were boiled in the cocoa tea, making the drink a complete

meal -- the cocoa tea being the drink and the dumplings replacing the

bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grated local cocoa stick or 70%dark chocolate

2 cups water

1 cup milk (cream, 2%coconut milk, or low-fat)

Sugar to sweeten

Vanilla

2 whole cardamon

Bay leaf

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Put water to boil with cinnamon and bay leaf. Boil for about 15

minutes. Grate cocoa stick and add to boiling water; boil for another

10 minutes. Add cream (or evaporated milk, 2%coconut milk, or low-fat

milk to reduce calories). Sweeten to taste. Don't forget the nutmeg Mix

the cornstarch with water and slowly add to the boiling mixture,

stirring all the time.  Strain and serve.

Donkey Eye

A seed from a vine that grows in the lush tropical forest

Used as a good luck charm….

Red Bead Tree

Adenanthera pavonina

Seeds have long been a symbol of love ...

Come join us at the Christmas Market with a Difference

in Hanover, New Hampshire

1st, 2nd, & 3rd of November 2012

Thursday & Friday 10-6 p.m.

Saturday 10-1 p.m.

http://www.ccdcucc.org/cmwad/