Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoSAO TOME AND PRINCIPE / COCOA-FOREST RESTORATION
STORY: SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE / COCOA-FOREST RESTORATION
TRT: 06:34
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: PORTUGUESE / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 2-6 JUNE 2025, SAO TOME ISLAND, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE / 18 MARCH 2026, ROME, ITALY
2-6 JUNE 2025, SAO TOME ISLAND, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
1. Aerial shot, Sao Tome forests
2. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho walking towards her cocoa plantation
3. Close up, cocoa fruit being harvested
4. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho picking up a cocoa fruit
5. Tilt up, Camila Varela De Carvalho cutting cocoa fruits
6. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho harvesting cocoa beans
7. Top shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho cutting cocoa fruits
8. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Camila Varela De Carvalho, cocoa farmer:
"Cocoa makes a huge difference in my life because with cocoa money, I can get by when my husband isn't getting paid, or when I don’t receive my monthly wage."
9. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho preparing breakfast
10. Close up, child having breakfast
11. Med shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho preparing a school backpack
12. Wide shot, children leaving home to go to school
13. Close up, cocoa fruit being harvested
14. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho harvesting cocoa
15. Med shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho watching cocoa trees
16. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Camila Varela De Carvalho, cocoa farmer:
"I started working in agriculture when I was eight years old. I used to go with my mother to the plantation to harvest cocoa. She would harvest using a stick, and we would gather the pods. I helped her break them open and carry them home. She always told me that a woman had to be able to do everything, from harvesting and breaking the pods to weeding the farm, because we could never wait for a man."
17. Wide shot, Sao Tome coastline
18. Med shot, FAO-supported nursery
19. Med shot, cocoa producer from CECAB caring for seedlings in a FAO-supported nursery
20. Tilt down, cocoa producer from CECAB cooperative digging a hole
21. Close up, cocoa producer from CECAB planting a tree
22. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho filling up a bag with cocoa beans
23. Med shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho bringing cocoa beans to CECAB cooperative
24. Wide shot, cocoa beans being weighted at CECAB cooperative
25. Close up, Camila Varela De Carvalho
26. Med shot, cocoa beans weight being displayed on a screen
27. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Camila Varela De Carvalho, cocoa farmer:
"Before CECAB, we harvested cocoa, and tractors came to buy it. When the tractor was full, they almost didn't buy any cocoa. But now with CECAB, whenever you arrive, you can sell your cocoa."
28. Wide shot, training session being held at CECAB cooperative
29. Med shot, CECAB trainer talking
30. Zoom out, woman farmer with a child attending the training
31. Wide shot, CECAB trainer and others leaving a cooperative facility
32. Med shot, CECAB trainer talking with Faustino Oliveira, FAO national project coordinator
33. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Faustino Oliveira, FAO national project coordinator:
"Knowing that these cooperatives operate in degraded agroforestry areas, the project’s primary objective is to involve them by providing financial support to restore agricultural landscapes. This is because, in the recent past, these plots were subjected to widespread indiscriminate tree cutting."
34. Wide shot, CECAB chocolate factory
35. Various shots, workers making and packing chocolate
36. Med shot, chocolate bars and other chocolate products on sale
37. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Antonia dos Lantos Neto, manager of CECAB’s chocolate factory:
"The presence of this factory was a dream come true for CECAB producers. They have always produced and exported, but it is the first time São Toméan producers have their own factory and they are transforming their own produce. It is a great satisfaction."
38. Wide shot, Camila Varela De Carvalho moving drying cocoa beans
39. Close up, Camila Varela De Carvalho taking dry cocoa beans in her hands
40. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Camila Varela De Carvalho, cocoa farmer:
"I have a dream of making chocolate. I want to harvest my cocoa, dry it, and be able to make chocolate with my very own crop."
41. Various shots, São Tomé tropical forests
18 MARCH 2026, FAO HEADQUARTERS ROME, ITALY
42. SOUNDBITE (English) Thais Linhares Juvenal, FAO senior forestry officer:
"Investing in forestry is a win-win solution for the world. Because we have a lot of supporting functions that are ensured, that are provided by a forest through its ecosystem services. So, for instance when we have agriculture close to forests, we need to spend less in fertilizers, pesticides, etcetera. The pollination services are essential for agricultural productivity. In addition to that we know that forests are an important factor to support the resilience of landscapes."
2-6 JUNE 2025, SAO TOME ISLAND, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
43. Various shots, São Tomé tropical forests
44. Various aerial shots, São Tomé tropical forests
In Sao Tome and Principe, a new generation of cocoa producers is at the forefront to restore degraded ecosystems and enhance sustainable cocoa production with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
32-year-old Camila Varela De Carvalho treks to her farm every morning with a bucket and a harvesting tool fashioned from a wooden branch and sharpened edge. Once among the cocoa trees, she clears branches and skilfully picks ripe cocoa pods. Making small incisions, she splits the pods cleanly in two with a practiced twist, a skill honed from the early age of eight.
She scoops out the white pulp-covered cocoa beans which, once dried and fermented, will be sold to become chocolates, providing the income that sustains her family and community.
Camila Varela De Carvalho said, "Cocoa makes a huge difference in my life because with cocoa money, I can get by when my husband isn't getting paid, or when I don’t receive my monthly wage."
Camila is a mother of four. She also raises her four nephews. Her family relies on cocoa as the only stable source of income.
The granddaughter of contracted labourers from Cabo Verde, Camila followed her mother into the groves at a young age. She was raised with a motto: to be independent, a woman must master every task on the farm.
Camila Varela De Carvalho said, "I started working in agriculture when I was eight years old. I used to go with my mother to the plantation to harvest cocoa. She would harvest using a stick, and we would gather the pods. I helped her break them open and carry them home. She always told me that a woman had to be able to do everything, from harvesting and breaking the pods to weeding the farm, because we could never wait for a man."
Located off the coast of West Africa, Sao Tome and Príncipe relies heavily on cocoa production to support local livelihoods. The island country faces increasing forest and land degradation due to agricultural expansion, changes in land use and the impacts of climate change. To address these challenges, FAO and the national government launched a project to restore forest ecosystems and enhance sustainable cocoa production as part of The Restoration Initiative (TRI).
A key partner in this initiative is CECAB, the island’s largest cooperative, uniting 37 producer groups and supporting more than 2 000 families. Through improved agroforestry techniques and access to organic and fair-trade certifications, the initiative helps farmers like Camila protect nature while strengthening their livelihoods.
De Carvalho said, "Before CECAB, we harvested cocoa, and tractors came to buy it. When the tractor was full, they almost didn't buy any cocoa. But now with CECAB, whenever you arrive, you can sell your cocoa."
By providing financial and technical support, the Initiative is empowering a new generation of farmers to lead the restoration of their own plots.
Since 2019, in Sao Tome and Principe more than 8 000 hectares of agroforestry areas have been restored. The goal is to reach 36 000 hectares, or one third of the country by 2030.
The project established nurseries to grow endemic fruit and other tree species with now over 240 980 seedlings mainly produced and planted in agroforestry plots on both the Sao Tome and Principe islands. These trees provide critical shade for cocoa production, which relies on a healthy forest canopy.
Faustino Oliveira, FAO national project coordinator, said: "Knowing that these cooperatives operate in degraded agroforestry areas, the project’s primary objective is to involve them by providing financial support to restore agricultural landscapes. This is because, in the recent past, these plots were subjected to widespread indiscriminate tree cutting."
In 2022 CECAB decided to expand from the production of raw cocoa and launched its own organic chocolate factory. This move toward high-value production was highlighted by CECAB’s participation in EuroChocolate 2024 fair held in Perugia, Italy.
Antonia dos Lantos Neto, manager of CECAB’s chocolate factory, said, "The presence of this factory was a dream come true for CECAB producers. They have always produced and exported, but it is the first time Sao Tomean producers have their own factory and they are transforming their own produce. It is a great satisfaction."
The project is also helping farmers like Camila look beyond the fields. After participating in the business classes provided by the initiative, she now dreams of moving from production to processing and transformation, making her own chocolate to secure her independence.
Camila Varela De Carvalho said, "I have a dream of making chocolate. I want to harvest my cocoa, dry it, and be able to make chocolate with my very own crop."
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The Restoration Initiative (TRI) supports nine countries in their journey to restore ecosystems and degraded landscapes.
21 March is the International Day of Forests (IDF). Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, the Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forest.
Thais Linhares Juvenal, FAO senior forestry officer, said: "Investing in forestry is a win-win solution for the world. Because we have a lot of supporting functions that are ensured, that are provided by a forest through its ecosystem services. So, for instance when we have agriculture close to forests, we need to spend less in fertilizers, pesticides, etcetera. The pollination services are essential for agricultural productivity. In addition to that we know that forests are an important factor to support the resilience of landscapes."
Under the theme of ‘Forests and economies’, IDF 2026 celebrates forests' essential roles in driving economic prosperity. From vital ecosystem services associated with water, climate and soils, to ecotourism, energy supply and raw materials, forests contribute trillions to the global economy and support millions of jobs worldwide.
Download
There is no media available to download.
