Mangngoy: Increasing Income While Combating Climate Change

After working as a teacher and cocoa farmer for twenty-two years, Mangngoy became a fulltime cocoa farmer after his tenure as a school principal ended in 2006. However, due to the rising global temperature it has become increasingly difficult to produce high quality yields. With the help of Nestlé and Swisscontact’s Farmer Field School (FFS), his improved cocoa farming techniques has provided substantial income while decreasing his own carbon footprint.

For 22 years, Mangngoy (70) managed to maintain two careers in both teaching and cocoa farming. From morning until noon he would teach children at the local primary school in Guliling, West Sulawesi. As soon as school was let out, he would return home and spend the rest of the day light hours tending to his cocoa plants.

He started out by planting 1,000 cacao trees on his one-hectare farm without having any prior knowledge of cocoa cultivation. At first his trees produced a very good harvest, however, his success was short lived due to the impact of climate anomalies, pests and diseases, which have become more prolific and widespread as global warming progresses.

The increases in temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide result in higher populations of destructive pests. Consequently, the impacts of pests and diseases are worsening and attacking many of the cocoa farms in his area. “Cocoa pod borer, black pod and vascular streak dieback had damaged most of my farm which led to low crop growth and quality. Then Nestlé and Swisscontact came to my village with their cocoa development program,” Mangngoy explains.

In 2013, Farmer Field School (FFS) began operating in the area. Together with other members of the local Tallusikambi Farmer Group, he had access to comprehensive training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and responsible use of inputs. When farmers are taught to apply the fertilizers correctly, increase the organic material in the soil and at the same time plant the suggested shade trees, their total carbon footprint can be decreased significantly.

Now equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary, Mangngoy was able to tackle the problems with his current 1,200 trees and increase his production from 1.2 to 2 ton/hectare/year. According to his February 2016 records, he has earned approximately IDR 69 million (USD 5,307) in one year from bean sales to BT Cocoa Warehouse.  The Tallusikambi Farmer Group now sells quality fermented beans to the BT Cocoa Warehouse through the Guliling Joint Enterprise Group (Kelompok Usaha Bersama – KUB).

“I sell my beans to BT Cocoa through the KUB because of the transparency and fair price. The higher the quality, the higher the price. With this approach, many farmers will be more motivated to produce high quality, traceable cocoa that will lead to sustainable farming and ultimately a sustainable source of income,” he concludes.

Cover Photo: @SwissContact