Acre

An acre is a measurement of land equal to 4047 Square metres or 0.4 of a hectare.

Agronomist

An Agronomist is a scientist who specialises in agricultural soil management and crop production, for the evaluation, cultivation and improvement of natural resources.

Antioxidant

A substance that inhibits oxidation, especially one used to counteract the deterioration of stored food products.

Cash crop

Growing crops to make money, i.e. growing foods or food ingredients to sell.

Certification

A process to assure that a material has achieved a determined standard of quality and performance in its production. In cocoa production, each certification system has a different code to which farmers and organisations must comply, although there are many common elements. Due to cocoa farms being so small but numerous, only a sample of farms will be checked for compliance with the code. Active examples of cocoa certification are Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ CERTIFIED.

Cooperative

A democratically controlled voluntary association of people grouping together, in this context, to market their cocoa. It is a business organisation which is mutually beneficial to its owners and operators.

Cross

A plant resulting from a mixture of two or more different species.

Disposable income

The income that remains after the payment of taxes and other mandatory expenditure, available to be spent or saved as one chooses.

Fermentation

The chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat.

Fungicide

A chemical that destroys fungus.

Grafting

A propagation method in which tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with another. A young shoot (the scion), selected for its stem, leaves or fruit, is inserted into a slit on another plant, selected for its roots (the stock), from which it receives sap.

Hectare

A land measurement equivalent to 10,000 square meters or 2.471 acres.

Hybrid

A plant resulting from the cross between two or more genetically unlike species.

Infrastructure

The basic structure of an organisation or system.

Pesticide

A substance used for destroying insects or other pests harmful to cultivated plants.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen into a plant to allow fertilisation and reproduction. For example, bees and other insects do this when they move from flower to flower.

Productivity

A measure of effectiveness in terms of the quality and quantity harvested from a specific crop. For example, cocoa beans per tree.

Propagation

To breed plant saplings through natural techniques such as seeds, grafting or cuttings.

Pruning

To trim the cocoa tree by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems to promote health, growth and fruitfulness.

Sanitation

Conditions relating to public health; the use of practical measures to ensure the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal.

Small-holder

The owner of a small plot of agricultural land used as a commercial farm to support a single family. The small-holding is usually under 50 acres and uses minimal paid labour.

Sourcing

The act of finding and obtaining goods or products from their place of origin.

Supply Chain

The sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of cocoa e.g. from the cocoa tree to the shops that sell chocolate.

Sustainable

Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level. In ecology, this refers to conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Tap root

The strong main vertical root of a tree.

Traceability

The ability to verify the precise origin of the product e.g. cocoa.

Yield

The amount of crop produced. In the case of cocoa we’d be talking about a yield of so many tons of beans per hectare.