CATIE receives FFAR funding to combat cocoa frosty pod rot in the Caribbean

• Allied research initiative between CATIE and FFAR seeks to mitigate an emerging threat to the cocoa industry.

January 16, 2024. CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) has been awarded funding by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) under the 12-month Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) call for proposals in an initiative that aims to address the threat of the cocoa disease, called frosty pod rot, in the Caribbean.

Mariela Leandro, CATIE's project representative, said that the project seeks to provide a detailed socioeconomic analysis of the eventual arrival of the disease in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, proposing management and control strategies that maximize the probability of adoption by producers, based on cost-benefit analysis.

This collaboration between CATIE and FFAR aims to maximize resources to generate a tangible impact in the affected countries and serve as a basis for obtaining more funding and expanding the project to other Caribbean countries, joining efforts to contain the cocoa disease.

ROAR funding, a program that provides emergency funding to support research and outreach in response to emerging or unforeseen threats to food security and agricultural systems, was the channel through which CATIE achieved this award.

Jamie Nickel of FFAR noted that ROAR projects go through a rigorous scientific review process and have co-funding requirements.

The main objective of the FFAR funding awarded to CATIE is to find mitigation strategies for cocoa frosty pod rot, an emerging disease in the Caribbean, in order to have strategies in place for when the disease reaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

This research project consists of four phases to achieve two objectives in a year, including assessing vulnerability and the impact of the disease along the value chain, as well as prioritizing control strategies. Research outputs and results are expected to be shared with key stakeholders in each country to discuss the most cost-effective intervention strategies.

“The importance of cocoa cultivation in the Caribbean region dates back several centuries and comes from various angles. This is why the devastation brought by the arrival of a pathogen such as frosty pod rot is not only economic, but also social, environmental, and cultural. We are at a crucial moment to prevent the socio economical impact of this outbreak and propose the implementation of applicable climate-smart measures that will allow the preservation of the profitable cocoa production in countries like the Dominican Republic and, at the same time, carry out adequate planning for the incursion in this crop in places like Puerto Rico and Hawaii, where it is a growing interest in the extension of cultivation area of this crop as a response to the growing market for chocolate with outstanding organoleptic traits, and the environmental benefits of agroforestry cocoa cultivation”, explains Leandro.

This collaboration between FFAR and CATIE is aligned with the goals of sustainable agricultural development and the promotion of food security in the region, as the disease poses a significant threat to cocoa supplies and the U.S. economy, which relies heavily on external sources for its cocoa supply.

This joint work reflects a joint commitment to address emerging challenges in agriculture, not only to protect the cocoa industry, but also to strengthen food security in the Caribbean region.