Communication strategy for the rural development "Misión Monilia"

Cocoa in Colombia plays a significant role in socioeconomic terms due to its impact on families in this agricultural practice. Between 2018 and 2021, the production of cocoa crops increased 21%. However, it decreased 10.6% in 2022. Although the exact causes cannot be established, leading experts agree that the monilia (Fungus) was a determining factor of this decline. Losses associated with the disease are subject to weather conditions such as rain and humidity. In 2022, high monilia rates were caused by the rainfall peak during the year. Some data indicates that monilia can decrease the income of a small cocoa farmer by 80%. To address this challenge The GDA Cacao Effect for global development, between USAID Colombia, the Luker Foundation, and Luker Chocolate, in its commitment to sustainable support the cocoa sector, designed the communication strategy "Mission Monilia" "With healthy pods, everyone wins". The CLA aims to make cocoa farmers aware of strategies to attack and mitigate monilia with a simple language, clearly transmitting agronomic and sanitary management practices to attack the disease early, and with a sense of the requiered importance and urgency. This process provides a Cooperation Strategy for National Development (CDCS) with actors from the cocoa-growing union and private sector: The National Cocoa Council, Fedecacao, the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrosavia, the National Chocolate Company and C4D, who will implement the strategy and increase productivity by up to 100%.