Jonathan Stern worked for 6 months in 2008 as a TAAF awardee with the Association of Small Producers of Talamanca (APPTA) in Costa Rica. APPTA is a co-operative which services over 1200 small producers of cocoa and other tropical fruit crops. It processes and markets their produce on a fair trade basis. Jonathan's work was to conduct an analysis of the economics of cocoa production, processing and marketing, and to train co-operative staff in the methods of financial analysis employed.

 

 

APPTA asked Jonathan to extend his stay for a further 4 months, paid partly by the co-operative and partly by TAAF, to apply the financial model he had developed to other crops and to investigate a proposed ecotourism project. Between the 2 phases of the assignment Jonathan was invited by CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) to undertake a 3 month consultancy for COCABO, a similar cocoa producers' co-operative across the border in Panama. This is his latest report:

"I have just completed a 3 month consultancy with a cocoa producers' cooperative in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was able to get the job through contacts and experience gained during my 6 month TAAF-funded placement at the Small Producer's Association of Talamanca, Costa Rica. Essentially my findings showed that organic cocoa is a volatile but potentially strong earner for the co-operative, and that diversifying into wood commercialization and real estate has been a good move. However a chain of hardware stores which the co-operative operates has been making enormous losses. The mix of enterprises has profound implications for the management and product profile of the organization. A strategic planning session is now proposed, at which I hope to assist the co-operative to plan its next steps in the light of my findings.

Returning to Costa Rica for a further 3 month consultancy, life issomewhat harder as I am dealing with an organization with a highly disjointed administrative structure. Nevertheless, the appointment of a new CEO has added a new level of coherence, which I think is exactly what the association needs in order to make new financial projections and to set the organization's first proper budget.

Thanks again to the TAA for all the support it has offered me, and for the funding which has enabled me to give continuity to my work here in Costa Rica".