The world is facing a chocolate shortage as global cocoa production declines, largely due to farmers not being paid fairly, says an article in Huffington Post.

The article says 99 per cent of the world’s cocoa is produced by 5 million smallholder farmers in West Africa, Latin America, and Asia; the majority of whom live below the poverty line. Meanwhile, demand for cocoa is expected to increase by more than 30 per cent over the next 5 years.

Certification is not the answer, says the article, as these premiums don’t go into farmers’ pockets and they have not been proven to improve livelihoods at scale or solve the root cause of cocoa farmer poverty.

The article points to success with new small-scale chocolate makers: “the beginning of a chocolate revolution”. Demand in this sector is steadily increasing as consumers demand cocoa farmers get a fair price and these new chocolate makers are prepared to reduce their own profits to pay for this.

Maya Mountain Cacao is one such enterprise, sourcing cocoa from the indigenous Maya in rural, southern Belize. It connects over 300 organic cocoa farmers to the fine chocolate industry through direct, transparent relationships. Farmers receive a stable price which is higher than the market price, creating an incentive for them to increase their production. Currently the organization is raising funds to develop an cocoa-based organic agroforestry demonstration farm.

Read the full story: Choco-lypse And The Looming Chocolate Revolution

Find out about the Vision for Change partnership between the World Agroforestry Centre and Mars Inc to improve cocoa production and farmers’ livelihoods in Côte d’Ivoire: Building Sustainable Cocoa Communities in Cote d’Ivoire