Sustainable Cacao Cultivation in Latin America (Earthscan Food and Agriculture)

This book examines cacao cultivation with a view to improving the sustainable management and production of this crop. Theobroma cacao is an important species originating in the Ecuadorian Amazon and its product chocolate is consumed worldwide. Cacao cultivation is an industry supporting over ten million people, and so it is vitally important, in this changing climate, that the species is properly and sustainably managed and cultivated. This book brings together a wide range of experts from across the globe to examine cacao cultivation, from the basic aspects of reproduction, genetic improvement, nutrition and pest management, to agroforestry, industrialization and marketing in a global food system. Case studies are drawn from across Latin America, but the research reflects the nature of a crop that is cultivated in over 60 countries and processed, manufactured and consumed worldwide. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of agronomy, sustainable agriculture, and crop science.