Jointly organized by Bioversity International, on behalf of the Global Cacao Genetic Resources Network (CacaoNet) and the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE)

The GOAL of the CacaoNet workshop is to securing the long-term conservation of cacao genetic diversity and promote its use in production through the development of an on-farm conservation strategy.

The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES proposed are:

1.    Review the current situation of on-farm conservation since the development of the Global Cacao Strategy Cacao in 2012: status / assessment of diversity on-farm and threats and priorities for conservation – how to assess these geographical sites.
2.    Agree on the long-term goal of a strategy for the on-farm conservation of cacao genetic diversity that is gender-responsiveness, i.e. analyzing and understanding the role of men and women in conservation and use.
3.    Discuss the objectives of on-farm conservation and of increasing performance of commercial plantations and the threats to local varieties.  
4.    Discuss the on-farm conservation methodologies and approaches and information systems supporting the decision-making process.
5.    Discuss the political aspects of on-farm conservation and access to unique materials and propose solutions for incentives to share materials.
6.    Agree on the short, medium and longer-term priorities for securing the on-farm conservation, considering the threats in the wild and on-farms and collecting priorities.
7.    Propose roles and responsibilities of the main national and international partners.
8.    Propose priorities for gap filling in ex situ collections through the Global Strategic Cacao Collection (GSCC).
9.    Make recommendations for the next steps and proposal for action:
    a)    Problems to be addressed by research
    b)    Action agenda for the partners (CATIE, CRC, ICQCR, and the national partners)
    c)    Action agenda for data managers
    d)    Identification of agents suitable for political persuasion and  process
    e)    Funding the process and timelines
    f)    Coordination and partnerships

In addition, the following event will take place:

Wednesday 29 October 2014, from 12:00 onwards:
•    Celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the International Cacao Collection at CATIE
•    Contact: Wilbert Philips at CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Thursday 30 to Friday 31 October 2014:
•    Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Cocoa Breeders meeting. 
•    Contact: Wilbert Philips at CATIE,Turrialba, Costa Rica