Past Meetings and Seminars

Meetings

Climate Solutions Accelerator Project: Agroforestry Systems for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Solutions and Ecosystem Conservation

June 7, 2024

A collaborative effort between Penn State University and the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) inspired a successful workshop that charted future interdisciplinary activities on developing agroforestry systems for sustainable and climate-resilient solutions and ecosystem conservation in Latin America. [Read more]

Webinars

The Politics and Science of Cocoa Fermentation

April 26, 2023

Presenters/Panelists:

• Sarah Bharath, Agroecology Consultant
• Seneca Klassen, Lonohana Estate Chocolate
• Kwabena Assan Mends, Emfed Farms
• Zoi Papalexandratou, ZOTO Cocoa Consultancy Moderator: Dr. Kristy Leissle, Researcher & Author

Moderator: Dr. Kristy Leissle, Researcher & Author

Summary:

Is there any cocoa process more fascinating than fermentation? Fermentation plays a major role in determining chocolate flavor, but scientists are still discovering just how that works. Beyond the science, there are the politics: stereotypes about "best" methods, considerations of capital investment, and relationships between trading opportunities and fermentation techniques. In this webinar, we will learn from the experts about:

• current scientific understanding of cocoa fermentation
• regional variations in fermentation practices
• whether technique drives trading opportunities, or vice versa
• scientific & political challenges to "perfecting" the relationship between cocoa fermentation & chocolate flavor

Recording link

Innovative Cocoa Agroforestry Models in Madagascar: TSIRO Program Perspectives

September 26, 2022

Presenters: 

• Bill Guyton, FCIA's Senior Advisor, moderator,
• Salohy Soloarivelo/USAID,
• Jim Hazen/Catholic Relief Services (CRS),
• Tim McCollum/Beyond Good,
• Anne Zaczek/Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP)

Summary:

Can sustainable agroforestry systems conserve biodiversity while improving economic conditions for farmers in Madagascar?  USAID, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and a group of international chocolate and spice companies are proving this is possible through an innovative public-private partnership. The TSIRO Alliance is a five year program working in Madagascar's cacao and spice growing regions.  The focus is on conserving biodiversity and improving the livelihoods of over 2,000 smallholder cacao and spice farmers to support agroforestry systems, and enhancing biodiversity in Madagascar.  This public-private partnership is investing in diversifying income streams, using climate-smart agriculture techniques, and reasserting the value of healthy trees and ecosystems to support Madagascar’s fragile ecosystem. By the end of the program, more than 1.5 million trees will be planted. 

Recording Link

Introduction to the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute

May 26, 2021

Dr. Agung Wahyu Susilo
Director of the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute

Recording Link

Overview of Chocolate Industry

April 21, 2021

Professor Dan Azzara
Alan R. Warehime Faculty Chair in Agribusiness, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education
Penn State University

Recording Link

An overview of research at the Cocoa Research Centre, University of the West Indies, in support of the Cocoa Industry

March 3, 2021

Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan
Head, Cocoa Research Centre/ Professor in Genetics
The University of the West Indies

Recording Link

Defense metabolites in Theobroma cacao and biosynthetic pathways

January 27, 2021

Ben Knollenberg
Postdoctoral Scholar, Dept. of Plant Sciences
Penn State University

Recording Link

Mapping Cacao Genetic Diversity in Northern Colombia

January 13, 2021

Mark Guiltinan
Professor of Plant Molecular Biology J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany, Dept of Plant Sciences
Penn State University

Recording Link

The Visual and Material Culture of Chocolate Consumption

December 16, 2020

Amara Solari
Professor of Art History and Anthropology, Department of History
Penn State University

Recording Link

Understanding American premium chocolate consumer perception of craft chocolate and desirable product attributes using focus groups and projective mapping

December 9, 2020

Allison Brown
PhD Candidate in Food Science and International Agriculture and Development
Penn State University

Recording Link

Chocolate, Sex, and Disorderly Women in Colonial Guatemala

November 11, 2020

Martha Few
Professor, Latin American History and Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies, Department of History
Penn State University

Recording Link

Assessment of a geogenic source of Cadmium in Soils of Cacao farms in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Region, Colombia

October 14, 2020

Daniel Guarin
Graduate Student: Department of Ecosystems Science and Management
Penn State University

Recording Link