How is Vanilla Grown and Harvested?

Clement Cabrol, a vanilla expert based in Madagascar, provides a brief tutorial on vanilla growth patterns in an entertaining and educational new video.

Leaves and Twigs: An Unscientific Weekly Roundup of Our Favorite Stories on the Internet

We’re back with our weekly review of a few of the best new sustainability stories, videos, photos and tools floating around the internet.

• “Conservation shouldn’t be like a club that only lets pretty people in,” says Treehugger. Ugly species need love, too.
• How green is your travel? Calculate the carbon footprint of your last vacation with this great online tool from Sustainable Travel International. [And use it to find out how you can cut back on emissions the next time you travel!]
• In a fascinating new article, Scientific American explores the way that biodiversity keeps the Earth alive.
• Discover this month’s “Making a Difference” award winner – Hidden Valley Inn, a luxury eco-chic resort in the Belizean jungle.
• Treehugger reminds us why we should reconnect with nature in a new piece, “If More of Us Love Nature, The Environment Will Take Care of Itself.”
• Our president, Tensie Whelan, discusses Rio+20 and the role of sustainable agriculture in protecting the world’s rainforest in an editorial for Devex.
• According to Treehugger, Google Earth is turning into a tool for conservation and saving species and habitats.
• A new infographic from Good explores the problems with our food system.
• Leading scientists are urging governments to focus on growing demands for water and energy, natural disasters, and measuring carbon dioxide. [Article from The Guardian.]
• Scientists discovered an astounding assortment of previously unknown species in 2011. Our Amazing Planet highlights 11 of them in a slide show.

Find other great articles, photos or videos on the internet this week? Tell us about them in the comments!

Dispatch from the Forested Farms of Madagascar

Chatting with a group of local farmers on a forested farm in Madagascar, Noah Jackson — a trainer and auditor for the Rainforest Alliance — shares a few words about his surroundings and the Rainforest Alliance’s work in the country.

Tensie Whelan Visits Dominican Republic

Rainforest Alliance president, Tensie Whelan with Nell Newman, founder of Newman’s Own Organics

Last week, I was lucky enough to go on a field visit to the Dominican Republic to visit Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa farms as part of a conference organized by the Sustainable Food Lab.  About 15 people were on our two-day “Learning Journey,” including Nell Newman of Newman’s Own Organics, whose organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified chocolate contains cocoa produced by the farmers we visited.

Our first stop was with FUPAROCA, a foundation to assist and organize 4,500 small producers, set up and paid for by Rizek, a Dominican cocoa producer, manufacturer and exporter.  FUPAROCA invited the president of the farmers’ group and 40 farmers from Newman’s Own Organics supply to meet with us and share their experiences.  Then we visited a few farms and had lunch at a Rizek facility where we had hot chocolate with ginger (yum!) and dipped juicy pineapple and papaya into a chocolate fountain (really!).  We were all buzzing with cocoa energy afterward.

Meeting with farmers is my favorite perk of my job.  They are practical but see the bigger picture in the way that anyone who deals directly with Mother Nature day in and day out cannot avoid.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the farmers we met:

“After certification, everything changed.  The product is of the best quality and we get a good price, so we are really thankful.”

“We are proud of protecting biodiversity, life at the global level and producing a globally important product.” 

“My community is happy, joyful.  We see the benefit.”

According to Rizek and FUPAROCA, average farmer yields have more than doubled with the certification and the group received one million in certification premium last year (half due to Rainforest Alliance).  FUPAROCA started in 2001 after a big hurricane destroyed much of the island’s cocoa production.  Since they were starting almost from scratch, they decided to put in place better practices from the beginning.  So, they prepared the farmers for organic production—and today the Dominican Republic is the largest source of organic cocoa worldwide.  Then in 2006, they achieved Rainforest Alliance certification, followed in 2009 by UTZ, and they are now planning for Fair For Life.  The doubling in yields happened between 2006 and today, so Rainforest Alliance can take some of the credit.  According to FUPAROCA, the primary changes the farmers had to make in order to become Rainforest Alliance Certified were related to protection of biodiversity, wildlife inventories, tree planting and protection as well as some changes related to social issues, such as the provision of potable water and worker benefits.

While embracing all of these standards sounds like a lot of work, FUPAROCA has combined them all into a single standard, provides training for farmers on that broader standard, and is using the new standard adoption as a way to help the farmers to continue learning and improving.  It’s exciting to see certification used as an extension tool to help farmers produce higher quality, planet and people healthy and productive crops!

Carmelo Paulina Pena on his farm in La Malena

One of our farmer visits was with Carmelo Paulino Peña in La Malena, Atabalero Abajo, San Francisco de Macorís.  His farm totals 31 hectares and he has four family members as well as harvesters whom he hires locally to work on the farm.  He bought the farm with funds he earned working in a meat packing factory in the U.S.   We visited some of his cocoa trees most prized for their productivity and saw the shade trees that provide habitat and carbon sequestration. He said they no longer kill snakes and woodpeckers (previously a standard practice) and manage their waste and wastewater carefully.  There was no garbage on the farm—which is a marked difference from the garbage you see everywhere on the roads and fields and in the towns.

Nell Newman told us later how pleased she was to see these farmers so proud of the changes they have made.  She started Newman’s Own Organics because as a young girl she had become concerned about the plight of the birds effected by DDT (pesticide) and worked on a peregrine falcon reintroduction project as a college student.  It was thrilling for her to see how the good price paid by Newman’s Own Organics and the incentive they have provided for organic and Rainforest Alliance certification has helped these famers lead better lives.

We also had representatives from Blommer Chocolate (they manufacture Newman’s Own Organic chocolate), Cliff Bar and Mars (who have committed to purchasing cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms), Sustainable Harvest, and NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services.  The Sustainable Food Lab, our host, brought together representatives from business and civil society to learn from each other and tackle the challenges in the current food system.  No small task, but it was an impressive group of leaders from all walks of life!

Portrait of Madagascar: Land, Lives & Livelihoods

Noah Jackson — a trainer and auditor for the Rainforest Alliance – shares a series of stunning images from a recent trip to Madagascar.

Outside the small room where I’m sleeping, chickens have begun to stir and scratch.  The soundtrack of the day is drifting through my window — the first bush taxis have started running and the diesel engines of pickup trucks are rumbling.  The smell of raw cocoa and coffee mixes with the diesel, dust, eggs, vanilla and other scents.

I climb out of bed, still tired. The days have begun to mix in my mind. I’m on my second waterproof field notebook and, before my time is finished in these forest and farm trails, I’ll fill another notebook with questions and observations.

We’ve been tackling some hard questions lately: How do you get products to market?  How do you grow rice – a staple crop in this country — without enough land? How do you ensure a supply for wood construction? How can you protect farms from cyclones? How do you build forests? How do you grow enough food?

These are the questions that plague farmers. We discuss them openly, in village movie halls and while touring the landscape.

In the first part of this photo essay, I share some behind-the-scenes images…

A boy and his dog take shelter under a mix of coffee plants and fruit trees while gathering firewood.

A high contrast aerial view of the landscape reveals that many of these upland parcels are highly denuded and eroded.

Some of this damage is the result of uncontrolled fires. In this image, Phillipia floribunda, which can be used for firewood and fencing, is growing back.

In addition to restoring upland forest in Madagascar, farmers here need to find a way to increase production of rice — a local staple crop. This experimental parcel involves rotating cattle to provide fodder and boost rice field fertility.

A farmer weeding his rice plot points out the boundaries of his family’s 3.7-acre (1.5-hectare) reserve land. Poachers caught harvesting timber illegally have to participate in village reforestation projects.

A woman walking along the forest trail to her part-time residence pauses for a portrait. The ground avocado seeds in her basket are believed to increase skin vitality.

Although the vanilla will not be ready until June and people cannot yet legally sell to registered collectors, a farmer shows of his low quality, early harvest. He’ll sell it now for much-needed cash.

Introductions and stories are shared on long walks from forest parcels to village markets.

This woman carries beans, which capture nitrogen and improve soil quality, from her upland rice plot to the market.

Maintaining land quality on steep upland plots means carefully planting shade and using a mixture of techniques to hold soil. This farmer also manages a large bamboo forest that is harvested lightly to support construction projects.

Moving rice to lower elevations and agroforestry crops to higher elevations is one of the best strategies for environmentally sustainable land management in Madagascar. In a participatory workshop to map farm plots and conservation lands, farmers talk about this shift and long-term protection strategies.

With the rice harvest in and the vanilla harvest yet to begin, roadside rice prices are on the rise. Ensuring adequate food supplies is a key part of the sustainable farming in Madagascar.

Even at night, the road is alive with smallholder farmer’s produce — fruit, maize and seeds — being transported to larger towns late in the evening.

Leaves and Twigs: An Unscientific Roundup of Our Favorite Stories on the Internet

Welcome back to our weekly roundup highlighting a few of the best sustainability stories, videos and photos floating around the web.

• Ever heard of a cloud forest? Find out why these enchanting woods are sometimes referred to as “elfin forests.”
• The green travel movement is growing! According to a new Trip Advisor survey, 70 percent of adventurers plan to make more eco-friendly choices.
• Treehugger summarizes a new study on the problems with palm oil. [Don’t despair: We’re on the case.]
• The Huffington Post shares photos of five stunning natural sites where humans threaten biodiversity.
• Good Environment explores why cities need more central parks.
• Take a look at some incredible wildlife shots, courtesy of The Guardian.
• Looking for ways to teach your kids about the circle of life? Check out “Rainforest Survival Challenge,” a cool ipad app for eco-curious kids.
• Grist reveals four foods that go to waste too often – and shares ideas for putting them to use.
• Check out these stunning examples of macro photography from Treehugger.
• Curious about the origins of Arbor Day? The Huffington Post shares a detailed history of the movement along with great resources for learning more.
• Grist celebrates National Bike Month with tips to get you cycling.

Find other great articles, photos or videos on the internet this week? Tell us about them in the comments!

Why One Tea Company Decided to Work with the Rainforest Alliance

We chat with Dhayan Madawala about Finlays’ decision to source tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. In 2010, Finlays’ Sri Lankan tea estates became the first in the country to earn Rainforest Alliance certification.

Dispatch from Madagascar: Jumping Rivers and Crossing Fire Lines

Noah Jackson – photographer, blogger, trainer and auditor for the Rainforest Alliance – continues his report from Madagascar’s vanilla trails.

My obsession with vanilla is more than professional. Last year, during my second visit to Madagascar, I used the tale of vanilla to court my girlfriend, talking about the aroma, describing my walks across vanilla forest trails, and detailing the beauty of the orchid that grows organically under a mixture of shade fruits and plants. I even sent vanilla and clove samples, harvested from these farm plots, in my letters.

On my third visit for the Rainforest Alliance, I have to dig deeper and explore the more challenging aspects of vanilla. Today, our team followed new farmer field teams, who help to organize farmers and monitor their compliance with the standards required for Rainforest Alliance certification, across the vanilla trail. It was an adventurous trek — we found ourselves jumping across small rivers, climbing steep slopes and nearing the boundary of Marojejy National Park.

The forest damaged by fire.

As we walked, we crossed charred rice fields that had burned when planned fires had jumped fire lines — gaps in vegetation that act as a barrier to slow the progress of fires.  Hillsides and entire stream gullies were destroyed.  This happened because the fires, which were set to clear land for rice, did not follow the intended course. Instead, they crossed fire lines, reducing secondary forest and damaging soil fertility. Burning land to clear it for rice cultivation is a symptom of a larger problem; communities do not have enough land and, as a result, are experiencing rice shortages.

Along the trail, we stopped and talked with farmers, sharing thoughts, ideas and seeds. Tucked away in a seed store compartment in my luggage, I had seeds from my home garden to share with community members.  Small gifts – like seeds for squash and beans – help me to build relationships with locals.

To one farmer, I commented that the vanilla these farmers are growing is well-suited to agroforestry practices. Another vanilla variety, introduced nearly two decades ago, has been modified to grow under full sun conditions, without forest cover.  This variety could mean the end of forest vanilla farming in Madagascar. It could also mean a shift to plantation conditions, where shade-grown practices are discouraged.

In a country where virtually no crop has a stable market price, this change could have disastrous effects on the landscape, crop and farmer livelihoods.  It would certainly mean more forest loss.  This is something that Madagascar cannot afford.

A farmer carrying his vanilla harvest.

We also spoke of planting indigenous trees, and discussed ways to restore very small valleys and gullies.  On one farm, I used a stick to sketch out a way to slow water down and use the extra nutrients to grow sugarcane in the soil. Later, I added the sketch to my notebook.

We didn’t spend a lot of time together, maybe no more than an hour, but it was my favorite hour of the day. It was spent wandering the vanilla trail that wove around fish pounds, through coffee and cloves, past animals and organic composting, and beyond a large fruit home garden.  These sites provide inspiration about the kind of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable farming the people of Madagascar are capable of.

In the evening, showered and back from a long walk, I spoke with the director of the park, Jean Hervé Bakarizafy, about building relationships one family, one community and one farm at a time.  One way to do this is to allow farmers to plant agroforestry crops, such as coffee, cloves, pepper and fruit, within the park buffer zone.

A lemur in Marojejy National Park.

Rice lands, both irrigated wet rice and upland rice, would migrate to lower elevations where the crop could be nurtured on more fertile soil. Fewer fire lines would be crossed and lemurs in the park would have a chance of continuing their march across a park corridor that spans these vanilla lands.

Ready to continue your stroll across the vanilla trail? Watch a short video narrated by Noah Jackson.

Leaves and Twigs: An Unscientific Weekly Roundup of Our Favorite Stories on the Internet

Every day, you’re bombarded with news about the state of the environment, information about initiatives to green our planet and opinion pieces on hot sustainability topics.

What’s worth reading, what should you skip and what should you save for later?  To help you muddle through the mess, we’ve put together a list of some of the best things we found on the net last week.

[Check back every week for a new roundup – this is a new weekly feature!]

• Did you know that organized crime rakes in $10 to $15 billion dollars annually from illegal logging? An investigative piece from Mongabay explores the phenomenon.
• A new project aims to protect frogs from a deadly fungus.
• Meet a songbird that can mimic chainsaws, car alarms and more in a cool new video from National Geographic.
• Time for a green getaway? This photo of “Bliss in Barbados” might inspire your next vacation.
• Students and teachers in Ghana come together to learn about climate change and conservation.
• In Mexico, a new climate change law will help to drastically reduce carbon emissions. Discovery News shares the story.
• “If you don’t have hope, you’re doomed,” says Denis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day, in an inspiring piece on Grist.
• Designzzz shares gorgeous shots of trees from around the world.
• Need another reason to justify your (sustainable) caffeine addiction? Ecosalon comes through with 20 unusual uses for coffee at home!
• How are we transforming the cocoa industry? An overview of an exciting project.
• A look at the world’s 10 most threatened forests via National Geographic.
• Meet cocoa farmers in Ghana and  Côte d’Ivoire and discover how Rainforest Alliance certification is changing their lives.
• Greenloon proves that eco-friendly travel is not more expensive.
• How does your state rank? Mother Nature Network takes a look at environmental winners and losers across the United States with a new infographic.
• Meet 7 extreme green heroes via Take Part.
• According to a recent Trip Advisor survey, travelers want to be more sustainable but hotels need to do more to meet the demand.

Find other great articles, photos or videos on the internet this week? Tell us about them in the comments!

A Chat with Chad Trewick of Caribou Coffee

Over the weekend, our communications associate Anna Clark had a chance to catch up with Chad Trewick, director of coffee and tea at Caribou Coffee,  at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) tradeshow in Portland, OR. Fresh off receiving an award at the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Coffee Breakfast, here’s what Chad had to say…

The Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable agriculture team was pleased to award Chad with the first-ever Change Agent Award, which will be presented annually at our Sustainable Coffee Breakfast at the SCAA tradeshow in recognition of coffee industry sustainability champions.

“We are thrilled to honor Chad for his tireless, outstanding efforts to promote social and environmental sustainability,” said Alex Morgan, senior manager of sustainable value chains within the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable agriculture division.

For nearly a decade, Chad has played a lead role in driving sustainable development at Caribou Coffee and encouraging farmers worldwide to achieve Rainforest Alliance certification. Thanks to his efforts, Caribou Coffee became the first major US coffeehouse to source 100 percent of its coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

“The most rewarding part of the whole process has been working alongside the producers to see and really understand the impact Rainforest Alliance certification has on their livelihoods, lands and communities,” said Chad. “I am so grateful that Caribou Coffee embraced and prioritized responsibility in our supply chain with such foresight all those years ago.”