The third meeting of the Local Monitoring Committee (CSL) took place on 22 February 2022. This was an important day that brought together the Dominican partners involved in the project to discuss and assess the initiatives and results from 2021, outline the action plan for 2022 and organise workshops on the project’s main joint action areas. The day was organised and led by Sebastián Cardenas, Cacao Forest’s general coordinator, and scientific coordinator Olivier Deheuvels.
The meeting, held at the CEDAF offices, was attended by representatives from:
- The ISA and UNEV Universities
- CEDAF, our host partner
- The Department of Cacao at the Ministry of Agriculture
- The Comisión Nacional del Cacao, representing the country’s cocoa exporters
- Our new partner in the REP, the FUPAROCA Foundation
- An observer from the privately-owned company Rizek Cacao
- Our partner cooperatives: COOPROAGRO and CONACADO
- Our local scientific partner IDIAF
- The Dominican Environmental Consortium, to present the forthcoming Dominican Chocolate Festival.
No representatives from the PUCMM and UASD Universities or the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources attended the meeting.
Presentation of the 2021 report by O. Deheuvels (CIRAD) and S. Cardenas (EF)
The morning was taken up by a presentation of the progress of the 2021 projects and the Annual Operational Plan (POA) for 2022.
In the afternoon, the attendees were divided into two working groups to discuss the following topics: “Diploma course in cocoa agroforestry” and “Operational strategy for the construction of a national programme of rehabilitation and renovation of Dominican cacao plantations,” led by Sebastián and Olivier respectively.
Presentation of the second Dominican Chocolate Festival by Ana Tolentino of the Dominican Environmental Consortium
The day ended with a presentation of the second Dominican Chocolate Festival, which will take place in Santo Domingo from 8 to 17 July 2022.
A busy day of discussion and exchanges of ideas that brought together the major Dominican cacao industry players involved in the Cacao Forest project, enabling them to work together towards the most consensual and sustainable transformation possible of the country’s cocoa production.
