7 January, 2025

Barnabas is a 67 year old cocoa farmer in the Solomon Islands who, thanks to hard work and training with ADRA Solomon Islands, is earning a good income from his cocoa farm. 

“When I was younger, I had a job, but the money I earned fortnightly was very small,” says Barnabas. “So, I decided to return home and start planting cocoa.” 

Barnabas owns a 4-hectare cocoa plantation consisting of four thousand Amelando and Trinitario varieties of cocoa trees. He initially received training to grow cocoa from the Ministry of Agriculture. This is the foundation that he was able to build upon when he was introduced to ADRA’s Soul Cocoa Plus Livelihood Project (SCPLP). Barnabas joined ADRA Australia’s SCPLP through a six-month livelihood program from the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Project in his village in 2022. During that year, the project facilitated a three-day cocoa training workshop. ADRA supported each farmer who attended the training with tools for pruning to kick start their cocoa projects. Barnabas was one of the recipients of these tools, which helped revive his passion for planting new cocoa trees.

Barnabas with ripe cocoa

“Since ADRA came here, I’ve trained with them and gained valuable knowledge,” says Barnabas. “This training has enabled me to produce quality sun-dried cocoa beans, which I enjoy selling to local buyers.” 

Earlier this month, the project provided Barnabas with two bags of cement, one roll of green shade netting, and two pan toilets to further his cocoa production. Previously, he has also received clear plastic for his cocoa solar dryer.

Barnabas and his wife, Elizabeth, with their solar dryer shed

But what truly makes a quality bean is the ability to begin the drying process within 6 hours from leaving the tree. Thanks to ADRA’s support, farmers like Barnabas have received the tools and support to create their own local solar drying sheds.

“We provided small assistance to these farmers since they owned cocoa farms but lacked solar dryers,” says Reidly Harold, Project Officer for the SCPLP. “This assistance has essentially helped them improve their infrastructure, especially the solar cocoa dryers.” 

“I earn SI$1500-$3500 every week selling 40kg to 50kg of my sun-dried cocoa beans to local buyers in Honiara, with prices now reaching SI$52-$55 per kilo,” says Barnabas. This has been a notable increase on his past income. 

Barnabas has participated in numerous training sessions from different sectors including Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) and was awarded a certificate from CEMA for his cocoa Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) and production. 

ADRA’s Soul Cocoa Plus Livelihoods Project is currently working with four communities, with plans to expand the project to new communities over the next five years. To support this project, visit adra.org.au/project/soul-cocoa/ 

Tags:  Livelihoods, Solomon Islands, South Pacific,