2nd International Symposium on Cocoa Research

This request for support concerns the preparation of the second edition of the International Symposium on Cocoa Research (ISCR2), which is to be held for the first time in Montpellier from 27 to 29 September 2021 and whose organisation has been entrusted to CIRAD. It follows on from the international conferences on cocoa research, which began in 1965 in Côte d’Ivoire, and are organised regularly every 3 to 4 years, first by COPAL (the alliance of cocoa-producing countries) and then, more recently, by the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization), with the first edition of the ISCR held in Peru in 2017, which brought together 500 participants from more than 30 different countries. The theme of this conference is: "Innovations to support market development and promote the sustainability of cocoa farming for better farmers’ income"

The target audience is all stakeholders in the cocoa sector, including research institutions, governments, chocolate manufacturers, trading companies, processors, cocoa farmers/producer organisations and NGOs. The ICCO strategic action plan, which is the main thread of this event, aims at improving the living conditions of cocoa farmers through 2 main strategic axes: (i) economic and social sustainability of the cocoa supply chain, with a focus on the living wage of cocoa farmers, and (ii) environmental sustainability, with a focus on climate change and natural resources.