Fostering Farmer Wellbeing through Biodesign
BIODESIGN
1 OCT-4 NOV 2022
GENSPACE
Welcome to the Cocoa Farmer's Wellbeing Project, a collaborative initiative between Genspace, a community bio lab in Brooklyn, and Mars x Wrigley.
Our goal is to redefine the relationship between humans and the environment within the cocoa farming ecosystem. We believe that by nurturing the wellbeing of farmers and enhancing the health of the environment, we can pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Our goal is to redefine the relationship between humans and the environment within the cocoa farming ecosystem. We believe that by nurturing the wellbeing of farmers and enhancing the health of the environment, we can pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Brief:
Harmonizing Human and Environmental Wellbeing
What if the wellbeing of people and the environment were recognized as parts of the same whole? How might we create virtuous cycles where the wellbeing of people (physical, emotional, and social health) contributes to the wellbeing of the environment (increased biodiversity, richer soil, healthier air and water, and less pollution and waste). Imagine a future where food and our relationship with it brings people and the planet together.
Harmonizing Human and Environmental Wellbeing
What if the wellbeing of people and the environment were recognized as parts of the same whole? How might we create virtuous cycles where the wellbeing of people (physical, emotional, and social health) contributes to the wellbeing of the environment (increased biodiversity, richer soil, healthier air and water, and less pollution and waste). Imagine a future where food and our relationship with it brings people and the planet together.
Nurturing Wellbeing Experiences for All
What if wellbeing was a collective project where people came together to nurture each other and improve each other’s health? What if the metrics for wellbeing were measured by people’s connection to each other and a thriving environment? Imagine a future where people’s diets didn’t just provide nutrition, but also fostered physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.
What if wellbeing was a collective project where people came together to nurture each other and improve each other’s health? What if the metrics for wellbeing were measured by people’s connection to each other and a thriving environment? Imagine a future where people’s diets didn’t just provide nutrition, but also fostered physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.
- The A solution for the prompt presented by Mars Wrigley
- A video describing our process
After our prelimenary research we discovered that the beans account for 10% of weight 90% is the pod.
45 million tonnes of cacao pods are being produced every year. We decied to experiment with the cacao husks.
We tried to recover tanins from the husk that might be useful for a dyeing process but were only able to extract very little.
We then researched about the problems faced by the cacao farmers. Like any other plant, cacao is vulnerable to pests and diseases. One of the most damaging infections is witches’ broom, an aggressive fungus that can kill the tree and wipe out whole farms. In the 1980s, the disease devastated Brazil’s cacao production and it’s never far from producers’ minds.
We wanted to look for a solution that is cost effective, involved using cacao husks and combat the spread of this fungal disease.
After looking at more papers about this disease, we found that applying yeast might be beneficial for the plants since it grows faster and doesn’t let the fungus grow and infect the cacao pods. We tested this by innoculating yeast on different cacao husk extracts.
The yeast grew well best in the husk and sugar concentrate and were excited as to how this can help farmers save their fields.
Our group, Crazy Cocos reached the finals of the Biodesgin Sprint Challenge and can watch our video submission below