Sounigo et al. 2023 — ClimaLOCA project: cadmium reduction innovations in Latin American cocoa
Sounigo et al. present results from the ClimaLOCA research project (Climate-adapted Low-Cadmium Cacao), a multi-country initiative in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru aimed at identifying and deploying cacao genotypes with naturally low cadmium accumulation in beans. The project combines germplasm screening, participatory breeding, soil amendment trials, and farmer training to develop an integrated agronomic approach to reducing Cd in commercially produced cacao beans from the highest-risk origin zones in Latin America. The proceedings paper reports on germplasm screening results across multiple CCN-51 and fine-flavor cacao populations, identifying accessions with significantly lower bean Cd than commercial varieties currently grown in high-Cd zones.
Key numbers
- Multi-country study: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Germplasm screening: large panels of cacao accessions evaluated for bean Cd
- Bean Cd range in commercial CCN-51 from high-altitude Ecuador: commonly 1.5–4.0 mg/kg dry weight
- Low-Cd accessions identified: some accessions consistently below 0.5 mg/kg even in high-Cd soils
- Soil amendment trials (lime, organic matter): reduced bean Cd by 20–40% in some trials
- Specific n values per trial not extracted from proceedings; further detail requires full text
Methods (brief)
Multi-site germplasm trial across Colombia, Ecuador, Peru; ICP-MS or ICP-OES for bean Cd (method not specified in available text); farmer participatory approach; soil amendments tested alongside varietal selection; CATIE conference proceedings (B-tier).
Implications
Certification: ClimaLOCA identifies a pathway toward sourcing low-Cd cacao from Ecuador and Peru without simply avoiding those origins — varietal selection plus soil management can achieve meaningful Cd reduction. HMT&C sourcing criteria could incorporate varietal provenance in future. Courses: Illustrates that Cd in cacao is not destiny — it is a function of genotype × environment interaction and is partially manageable through agronomic intervention. App: Low-Cd accessions from high-altitude Ecuador challenge the simple origin-flag logic; the ingredient-level Cd estimate needs a genotype/sourcing-practice modifier for cocoa.