The document discusses developing strategic research agendas for cocoa and coffee. It notes that cocoa and coffee face persistent problems related to demand, prices, quality, farmer livelihoods, and sustainability issues. While much research exists, it is often fragmented and not accessible to all stakeholders. The document proposes developing collaborative research agendas to provide guidance, coordinate efforts, and disseminate information, while recognizing diversity of needs. A survey of stakeholders found interest in joining a multi-stakeholder platform to share and communicate research results to help address key research gaps in areas like agronomy, climate change, and productivity.

1. Developing strategic research agendas
for cocoa and coffee
Interactive session , 2nd World Cocoa Conference, Amsterdam
09 June 2014
Verina Ingram, Don Jansen, Lucas Judge

2. Introduction
 Wageningen UR leading a Top Sector Public Private Partnership project with KIT,
CIRAD, IDH, DE Foundation, UTZ and Dutch government ‘Enhancing sustainability
of Dutch cocoa and coffee imports: Synergy between practice, policy, strategy
and knowledge’ to improve the sustainability of the cocoa and coffee sectors.
 Cocoa and coffee are crops with persistent problems:
● Growing demand combined with volatile production and prices
● Concerns about quality, farmer livelihoods, climate change, keeping soils
fertile and managing pest and diseases, enhancing relations between
producer and consumer countries, securing sustainable supply and
production.
 Much research globally but fragmented, often not accessible to parties in the
chain that need it,
 Scope to increase knowledge transfer across crops.
 Need to “rejuvenate” and build capacity in research
 Implies need for (more) research and (more) collaboration and coordination
between researchers in origin and consumption countries and (better)
dissemination among users and stakeholders: governments, farmers, industry,
support organisations.
Verina

3. Why develop strategic, collaborative
research agendas for cocoa and coffee?
 The need has been signalled (again)!
 Priorities, needs and interests not always clear
 Contribute to a (shared) vision for these commodities in the future
 Provide guidance and a wider framework for those commissioning
research
 Coordinate research efforts and dissemination
whilst
o Recognising the diversity of needs
o Learning from previous initiatives
o Building on current initiatives, platforms and networks

4. The survey
 circa. 350 people contacted directly
 Asked to forward link on within their networks
 Link posted on various websites and via social media
 Survey available since beginning of December 2013
 First round closed on the 8th May 2014
 Initial analysis completed......
 First meeting 62 people in research 23 May 2014 in
Wageningen

5. Survey results

6. 76 respondents so far. Where do they come
from?
62%14%
11%
8%
4% 1%
Europe Africa
Latin America Asia/Pacific
North America Worldwide
Europe (47) Latin America (8)
NL 24 Brazil 3
UK 10 Costa Rica 2
Germany 3 Colombia 1
Belgium 2 Honduras 1
Italy 2 Nicaragua 1
Switzerland 2 Africa (11)
France 1 Cameroon 4
Luxembourg 1 Ghana 2
Spain 1 Uganda 2
EU 1 Kenya 1
Asia/Pacific (6) South Africa 1
Australia 3 West Africa 1
Indonesia 2 North America (3)
Vietnam 1 USA 3
Worldwide (1)

7. The 76 respondents so far: Who are they?
29%
18%
53%
Cocoa
Coffee
Both
30%
30%
17%
12%
8% 3%
Private Sector
Research/knowledge institute
Civil Society
Government
Other
Industry Association

8. Research?
31%
9%
33%
27%
Yes (in-house) ONLY
Yes (3rd party) ONLY
Yes (in-house + 3rd
party)
No
No research, why not?
• Lack of internal capacity/budget;
• External research is too expensive;
• Research conducted by umbrella organisations, indirect
involvement;
• Research Institutions conduct research using external funding

9. Current research
At first glance: same topics
equally important for coffee &
cocoa
Private sector involvement
stronger in cocoa
Relative importance of different
stakeholder types varies by
research topic

10. Research gaps
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Agronomy
Economics
Environment
Processing
Social
Sustainability
Organization
Other
Fraction of total participants indicating gap
Total Coffee + Cocoa
Total Cocoa
Total Coffee
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Agronomy
Economics
Environment
Processing
Social
Sustainability
Organization
Other
Fraction per gremium indicating gap Coffee
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Agronomy
Economics
Environment
Processing
Social
Sustainability
Organization
Other
Fraction per gremium indicating gap Cocoa
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
Important gaps in research
indicated
• Overall similar for coffee &
cocoa
• Importance of gaps varies
per stakeholder type
• Agronomic issues mentioned
most, and by all stakeholders

11. Research gaps: total responses per field
Agronomy Economics Environment Processing Social Sustainability Organization Other
Civil 9 2 1 2 9 2 4 1
Private 34 3 1 5 2 5 7 4
Government 15 3 3 2 0 2 1 0
Research 42 7 6 3 4 6 2 1
Other 14 2 0 1 0 7 6 1
Totaal 114 17 11 13 15 22 20 7
Economics Environment Processing Social Sustainability Organization
major issue
Profitability
Landscape
approach
Postharvest /
quality
Diversity
farmers /
farms
M&E,
Impact
Service
delivery
nr of
respondents 6 4 7 7 7 10
nr other topics 9 4 5 6 10 9

12. Research gaps
Agronomy
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Genetics /
breeding
Pest / Disease
Climate
Change
Productivity
Soil / fertility
Rehabilitation
/ Rejuvenation
Diversification
/ risk
Others
Research gaps Agronomy
Total Coffee + Cocoa
Total Cocoa
Total Coffee
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Genetics /
breeding
Pest /
Disease
Climate
Change
Productivity
Soil / fertility
Rehabilitatio
n /
Rejuvenation
Diversificatio
n / risk
Others
Knowledge gaps Agronomy Cocoa
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Genetics /
breeding
Pest /
Disease
Climate
Change
Productivit
y
Soil /
fertility
Rehabilitati
on /
Rejuvenatio
n
Diversificati
on / risk
Others
Knowledge gaps Agronomy Coffee
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
Genetics/breeding most
mentioned and by all
stakeholders
Climate change mainly
mentioned by government and
research
Most topics more urgent in cocoa
than in coffee

13. Overlap in research
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Yes
Overlap
No
Overlap
Unclear
if
Overlap
Overlap
Negative
Overlap
Positive
No
Overlap
Negative
No
Overlap
Positive
Coordin
ation /
Collabor
ation…
Overlap in Research
Total Coffee + Cocoa
Total Cocoa
Total Coffee
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Yes
Overlap
No
Overlap
Unclear
if
Overlap
Overlap
Negative
Overlap
Positive
No
Overlap
Negative
No
Overlap
Positive
Coordin
ation /
Collabor
ation…
Overlap in Research Coffee
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Yes
Overlap
No
Overlap
Unclear
if
Overlap
Overlap
Negative
Overlap
Positive
No
Overlap
Negative
No
Overlap
Positive
Coordin
ation /
Collabor
ation…
Overlap in Research Cocoa
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
Overlap in research
• Not always seen negatively
• But more coordination and
collaboration may help
efficiency and efficacy

14. Changes in motivation for research
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
CSR
Lack of
available
research
Other
Increase +
Maintain
Supply
Increase +
Maintain
Quality
Motivation current research Cocoa
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
CSR
Lack of available
research
Other
Increase +
Maintain Supply
Increase +
Maintain
Quality
Motivation future research Cocoa
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
CSR
Lack of available
research
Other
Increase +
Maintain Supply
Increase +
Maintain
Quality
Motivation current research Coffee
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
CSR
Lack of available
research
Other
Increase +
Maintain Supply
Increase +
Maintain
Quality
Motivation future research Coffee
Civil
Private
Government
Research
Other

15. How is research funded?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Internally funded
Externally funded
Subsidies
Government funds
Partial funding
PPP
Coffee
Cocoa
Coffee + Cocoa
Total

16. What is the timescale of research being
conducted?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Short (<2 years)
Medium (2-5 years)
Long (>5 years)
No response
Coffee
Cocoa
Coffee + Cocoa
Total

17. Financing cycle of activities / projects
Short
(< 2 yrs)
Medium
(2-5 yrs)
Long
(> 5 yrs)
Genetic /
breeding
4 9 16
Pest &
Disease
1 11 6
Climate
change
5 6 6
Short
(< 2 yrs)
Medium
(2-5 yrs)
Long
(> 5 yrs)
Total
Civil 4 5 1 10
Private 4 9 8 21
Government 4 2 3 9
Research 6 10 7 23
Other 3 4 1 8
Totaal 21 30 20 71
Normal financing
cycle per stakeholder
Normal financing
cycle per stakeholder
mentioning research
gap on indicated
(long term) topics

18. What are the challenges facing research?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Insufficient funds
Time scale
Cost of 3rd party
Other
Coffee Cocoa Coffee + Cocoa Total
Other?
• Competition between standards to prove
impact leads to fragmentation of impacts
research
• Lack of external expertise to interpret our
intervention logic
• Lack of awareness of need for long-term pre-
competitive research within parts of industry
• Crop improvement requires long-term
investment
• Difficulty cooperating with local institutions
• Human resources (capacity, expertise, age)
• Lack of internal resources to manage
research programs
• Setting right priorities

19. How can these challenges be overcome?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Own research
External Consultants
Research / Knowledge
institutes
Joint projects
Collaborations / Partnerships
Other
Coffee
Cocoa
Coffee + Cocoa
Total
Other?
• Pool questions and resources
• Seek wider industry participation
• Develop a long-term funding
mechanism
• Improve capacity in developing
countries
• Prioritization of research topics

20. Strategic research lines
Priority Research lines Key themes
1 Vulnerability and
productivity
• Production systems, performance and risk management
• Production system diagnostics
• Breeding, productivity, resistance and quality
• Pest and disease spread, control and monitoring
2 Diversity and
sustainability of
production
• Genetics
• Social, economic and ecological diversity and resilience
farmers, production systems, environment, organisations &
chains
3 Market transformation
and transparency
• Market/chain interactions and economics
• Chain of custody and certification
4 Quality and new
business models
• Quality prognosis and improvement
• Production, processing and chain models, efficiency and
impacts
5 Service delivery and
concerted action
• Effectiveness service delivery to small holders
• Models and impact concerted and collective action
• Governance models impact on service delivery and concerted
action on production and quality
• Scale and connectivity
Production sustainability
Consumption & chain sustainability
Sector strategic management
Abidjan Declaration 2012
Industry chain sustainability
& Sector strategic
management
Production sustainability

21. Who are our stakeholders? Who uses
the research?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
%ofrespondents

22. Current platforms (general)
 Chocowerkgroep
 SFL
 ICCO
 ICO
 Progresso
 4C Association
 COSA
 Sustainable Food Lab
 FAO Advisory Committee
 FAST
 ISEAL
 UNFSS
 ICOPR
 CSP
 IDH
 State of Sustainability
Initiatives
 AgroProFocus
 Development Studies
Association
 VLIR-UOS
 Plantbreeders Training
Network

23. Current research initiatives
 CocoaConnect
 COPAL
 CacaoNet (Global Cacao Genetic
Resources Network)
 WCF and WCF African Cocoa Initiative
(WCF/ACI)
 INGENIC (International group for
generic improvement of cocoa)
 INCOPED (Permanent working group
for cocoa pests and diseases)
 Caobisco-ECA-FCC Research WG
 INAFORESTA (agroforestry and
environment)
 National level
• Ghana Cocoa Platform
• CRA-GCGRA-CRUK
• PPPP-CCC Ivory Coast
 World Coffee Research
 ASIC
 Sustainable Coffee Partnership
(SCP)
 CoffeeReseach.org
 Lets Talk Coffee
 CORNET Coffee research
network ASARECA
 National & regional:
• Uganda Platform
• JNC Peru
• African Coffee Research
Network (ACRN)
Convergence of Science CoS-SIS

24. Preference for type of platform
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
numberofresponses
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
all cocoa
all cofeeboth
% interested in joining multi-
stakeholder platform to obtain and/or
communicate research results?

25. Interest to join a platform, to
obtain and/or communicate
research results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Civil
Private
GovernmentResearch
Other

26. Summary
 Around 50% say a strategic agenda s needed – particularly in cocoa
 There are overlaps and some initiatives that could be up scaled to
cover the specific issues, but also provide the multi-stakeholder
platform most stated as needed
 Main research gaps in both coffee and cocoa are in agronomy, climate
change, pests and diseases and productivity
 Major drivers of research in both coffee and cocoa now for all
stakeholders are to maintain and increase quality and supply, as a
CSR obligation and due to a lack of available research
 There is interest to collaborate in both sectors –different perceptions
on what kind of collaboration is needed – single or multi-stakeholder,
single issue or multi-issue?

27. Examples cocoa research platforms
CocoaConnect
WCF
COPAL
CRA/CRUK/GCGRA collaborative Industry Research
International Cocoa Research Groups (INCOCOA)
informal working groups

28. Cocoa CONNECT
• International knowledge portal to share, meet and learn for
sustainable cocoa (online since March 2013)
Why?
• Coordination
• Put knowledge in the public domain
• Identify knowledge gaps
• Research
• Owned by the members of the Dutch Choco Working Group
• Moderated by KIT Sustainable Economic Development (Royal
Tropical Institute)
• Financially supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic
Affairs
• Active through website (www.cocoaconnect.org), facebook
and twitter
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

29. Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

30. Cocoa CONNECT functions
• To share – access to information
• To meet – meeting place/market place
• To learn – work space
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

31. Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

32. Challenges
• Participation
• Maintenance
• Business model
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

33. How can it contribute to common
research agenda?
• Build on existing platform  How?
• Connection with other platforms Who?
• Revise/build in functions  What?
• Work towards a strategy  When?
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

34. Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

37. • UK-based non-profit scientific cocoa research associations
• Focus on conservation and utilisation of genetic resources to support
efforts to get better planting materials to farmers and research to
improve integrated crop management (inc. pests & disease control,
agronomy, food safety aspects)
• Emphasis on public domain research: publication of results to make
them widely available to research community)
www.cocoaresearch.org.uk
Current contributors/partners:
CRA, CRUK, GCGRA
CRA, CRUK, GCGRA
CRA, CRUK
CRUK
GCGRA
CRA/CRUK/GCGRA
Collaborative Industry Research

38. “INCOCOA”
International Cocoa Research Groups
• Informal groups with a common interest in aspects of cocoa research
• Workshops to coincide with COPAL International Cocoa Research Conferences
• Working Groups, websites and email lists to promote sharing of information and
collaborative activities
• Some support and in-kind contributions from industry, research institutions, and
other sponsors allow secretariats to function and to support workshops
www.incocoa.org
The International
Group for the Genetic
Improvement of Cocoa
The International
Permanent Working
Group for Cocoa Pests
and Diseases
Sustainable Cocoa
Production in Agroforestry
Systems

39. Ingredients of a strategic research
agenda collaboration .......
1. Transparent, shared goals and vision
2. A efficient convening platform (coordination, secretariat, regular
communication, organise events)
3. Define members, their contribution and roles
4. Agreement and commitment to a strategic agenda
5. Agreement and commitment to a coordinated approach (e.g.
common indicators, standards, guidelines, data management, data sharing and the
process)
6. Agree on resources to support and sustain 1-5
7. Independence of research outputs (from those commissioning)
8. Quality of research (methods)

40. Different models
14 international research centres, a
common data collection methods to
ensure sites comparison across space
and time> 250 sites in 15 countries
from 1992 - date. Open access
database with information about
biodiversity, livelihoods, institutions, &
forest carbon
Formal formal Formal, membership based
Coordinated Secretariat Coordination unit
Open access data Semi-open access Closed data
International research project &
network since 2004 semi-open
database 8000+ households in 40+
study sites in 25 countries.
comparative, detailed socio-economic
data collected quarterly at household
and village level by 50+ research
partners using standardised
definitions, questionnaires and
methods.
90 global participants funding and
building a scientific foundation
driving innovation in consumer
product sustainability: transparent
LCA methodologies, tools, and
strategies addressing environmental,
social, and economic issues. Jointly
administered by Arizona State
University, University of Arkansas
Wageningen University, & Nanjing
University.
Reddit bridges a gap between the
people who do or report science and
the public that enjoys it: ‘’science for
dummies’’ online .
NGO, administered by Texas A&M
University System, technical
advisory committee of industry and
researchers, sources funding and
conducts research.

41. Avenues for collaboration?
Discuss the goal(s) and topics seen as priorities for
a developing a strategic agenda: do participants
agree? Are there other priorities?:
● Vulnerability and productivity
● Diversity and sustainability
● Market transformation and transparency
● Quality and new business models
● Service delivery and concerted action
Should and can these be tackled together? Or
separately? In a multi-stakeholder platform? How to
build on existing initiatives/platforms?
GENERAL DISCUSSION

42. ISSUES
 Pre-competitiveness and confidentiality
 Increasing availability of data currently out there
 Multi or single stakeholder? Wide or single issue?
 Which level most appropriate for different issues ?
 Linking up local, regional and international level?
 Capacity building?

43. Upcoming events we can use to
consolidate a network....
 WCF/ACI Regional Symposium of the Next Generation of
Cocoa Research for the West and Central African Cocoa
Region, November 11-14 2013, Ibadan, Nigeria
 WCF Partnership Meeting and Round Table Sessions, 15 -
16 October 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark
 COPAL, International Cocoa Research Conference, Oct
2015, Peru?
 Congreso Café Cacao, 14 - 17 April 2015, Havana, Cuba

44. Action: Break out multi-stakeholder
groups→ Discuss → Report back
the “ingredients” of collaboration
1. Goals and vision of specific
structure
2. Convening platform
3. Members, contribution and roles
4. What (e.g. common indicators, standards,
joint research, guidelines, management, data
sharing, publishing etc.)
5. Resources needed (including building on
existing initiatives)
the “content” of collaboration
1. Which research lines?
2. Which research questions
should be asked?
3. Which topics are missing?
4. Should there be a geographical
focus?

45. Next steps?
Follow up: A petite committee is willing to
move things forward : Wageningen UR,
Cocoa Research UK, IITA, Bioversity, Mars,
CAOBISCO, KIT, NRI, CIRAD (in absentia)