Jul 7, 2009
Documental sobre el cacao dominicano, “Chocolate Country”
Este documental relata los desafíos de los cacaoteros de El Factor, provincia Maria Trinidad Sanchez para mantenerse a flote en la economía global.
In the isolated hill towns of the Dominican Republic, cacao farmers have been fighting a losing battle with the global economy (and hundreds of opportunistic middlemen) for as long as anyone can remember. “Chocolate Country” is the story of a village with a plan to turn the system on its head. Like many poor farmers, the people of Loma Guacanejo have never been able to afford herbicides or pesticides. Shifting demands in the first world are about to turn this disadvantage into an advantage. If the farmers can certify their cocoa beans “organic”, and leverage the benefits of “Fair Trade”, their product could instantly double – even triple – in value. ChocolateCountryFilm.com
cacao is disease free so pesticides are not needed. When the plants are planted, weeds can be controlled with machete cutting until the Cacao plants grow into trees and then they naturally control the weeds themselves.
Same as always, a few people take all the profits and the farmers here get stuck with little or nothing…