ADRA urges Solomon Islands cocoa farmers to plant more trees, improve production and strengthen agricultural livelihoods.
Cocoa farmers from North Malaita, Northeast Guadalcanal and Marovo Lagoon in Western Province have been urged to plant more cocoa trees to increase cocoa production and strengthen their livelihoods.
The call was made by the Country Director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Solomon Islands, Mr Leyn Eliezer Gantare, during the official closing of a two-day inception workshop for cocoa farmers in Honiara.
The workshop was held at the Guadalcanal Womenโs Centre in Henderson, East Honiara, from Tuesday, 29 September to Wednesday, 30 September 2026.
A total of 24 new and existing cocoa farmers were selected from project sites where ADRAโs Sustainable Economic Agricultural Solutions (SEAS) Project is currently being implemented.
The two-day inception workshop provided an opportunity for farmers and the ADRA SEAS Project team to share their experiences from the field and explore ways to improve the existing cocoa-buying process between farmers and ADRA.
During the workshop, a representative from the Commodity Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) spoke to participants about cocoa quality, the world cocoa market, cocoa volumes for export, and comparisons of cocoa production data.
A representative of people with special needs was also invited to speak about the importance of inclusion in the cocoa farming sector and ensuring that people with disabilities are not left behind in agricultural development.
In his closing remarks, ADRA Solomon Islands Country Director Mr Leyn Eliezer Gantare encouraged farmers to plant more cocoa trees to improve future yields and production.
โFarmers must plan for more trees to achieve good yields and better production. What you are planting today will benefit you now and in the future, especially as more trees can also contribute to the environment and help address the impacts of climate change,โ Mr Gantare said.
Farmers Share Their Experiences
Jay Teika, a cocoa farmer from Geza in Northeast Guadalcanal, said the inception workshop provided a valuable opportunity for farmers and the ADRA SEAS Project team to come together and openly discuss the challenges they face.
โWe farmers who work with ADRA have some challenges among us, but we have never had the opportunity to properly share and discuss these concerns because we are often busy with our work,โ Mr Teika said.
โBut this inception workshop was very good because we were able to come together and share our concerns. We are committed farmers working with ADRA and supplying dried cocoa beans, so it is important that we do not keep our concerns to ourselves,โ he said.
Meanwhile, Terry Timi, a new cocoa farmer from Marovo Lagoon in Western Province, said he was pleased to participate in the workshop.
Although he was unable to attend the first day because of transportation difficulties, Mr Timi said he still gained valuable knowledge from the workshop.
โWe farmers from Marovo have only recently started working in cocoa, and some of us have already started buying wet cocoa beans without fully understanding the proper drying process,โ Mr Timi said.
โI would like to thank ADRA for inviting me to this important workshop. It has opened my eyes to the proper methods of processing and drying cocoa beans to ensure that we meet the quality standards required by ADRA,โ he said.
Jasper Akwai, a cocoa farmer from Whitestone in North Malaita, also thanked ADRA for organizing the workshop and providing an opportunity for farmers to come together and share their experiences.
โI am one of the faithful cocoa suppliers to ADRA, and one of the challenges I have faced is that we have not had many opportunities to come together as farmers and openly share our challenges, so that we can identify our weaknesses and find ways to improve,โ Mr Akwai said.
โBut this inception workshop was very good and is a good way for us to move forward together as a network of farmers. It gives us an opportunity to share ideas on how we can improve our work and helps ADRA better understand us as farmers who regularly supply them with quality dried cocoa beans,โ he said.
Supporting Cocoa Farmers
The two-day inception workshop was implemented by ADRA Solomon Islands through its Sustainable Economic Agricultural Solutions (SEAS) Project, with support from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
The SEAS Project works with cocoa farmers to strengthen agricultural livelihoods, improve cocoa production and quality, and support farmers to access better economic opportunities.
The next inception workshop is scheduled to be held in November 2026 in another province, with further details to be announced.
SOURCE// ADRA Solomon Islands
