A story on environment in India
"If there are forests, it is good for all animals… if there is no forest, we don’t have anything, temperatures will rise, and our farms will also get damaged…"

Samrajyam, a cocoa farmer from Andhra Pradesh, India

Since cocoa was introduced to India in 1965, it has become a viable crop and farmers have begun passing down the strong heritage of cocoa farming to the next generation. There is a strong cocoa farming legacy in India, where many continue to refer to cocoa trees as ‘Cadbury trees’. But as climate change intensifies, this heritage is threatened. As a result, farmers are becoming increasingly passionate about protecting their forests and preserving their connection with nature. Farmers are applying natural fertilizers, building community resilience and participating in farmer trainings to sustain their ecosystems. The cocoa farming with inter-cropping system improves biodiversity and it exists in parallel to forest conservation - because without one, the other will not thrive.

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Read Samrajyam’s story to learn more about how the entrepreneur has realized her passion for protecting forests:

Samrajyam is a farmer from Andhra Pradesh, India. She has a very close attachment to her land as it’s been with her family for generations. She manages 17 acres of land with the support of community members, to grow cocoa and coconuts. She hopes that future generations will inherit the farms and wants to pass on the knowledge of farming she has learned from Cocoa Life to her children and grandchildren.

"After starting cocoa farming, our profits increased. Cocoa is very beneficial. It’s good to do work under the shadow of the trees."

Samrajyam relies on the steady income from cocoa and benefits from its profitability. She enjoys economic independence, manages all the accounts and knows exactly how much profit the farm makes each year. Samrajyam’s story is one of true entrepreneurial spirit: she works to pass farming knowledge on to her community and future generations, and reaps the economic benefits of growing cocoa at the same time. Together with her fellow farmers, she spreads knowledge gained from Cocoa Life trainings to the community. Samrajyam is an example of how women in the community are eager to learn from Cocoa Life and makes a difference among women.

Witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change has reinforced her passion for traditional farming techniques. These include avoiding the use of harsh and polluting chemicals on her crops, by keeping cows on the farm for farmyard manure to improve the soil fertility rather than using chemical fertilizers.

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Forests and farms are a life source and a symbol of family heritage, but they also play a fundamental role in the lives of female cocoa farmers. The unique cocoa agroforestry model in India ensures economic and environmental sustainability. By empowering female cocoa farmers in India, Cocoa Life has laid the foundation for sustainable farming and allowed these communities to take charge of their own development, as well as the conservation of their forests.