Look for the tiny white flowers on the tree trunks. After being pollinated by midges, they grow into yellow pods containing cocoa beans.

Cocoa beans, brewed with chillies, were drunk by Mayan and Aztec nobles. The Latin name, Theobroma cacao, means food or drink of the gods.

Conquistadors brought cocoa to Europe, where it was later made into sweet chocolate. First reserved for the rich, chocolate went on to become part of the emergency rations kit for armies and rescue teams. Now it's a 'luxury' that nearly all of us can have. Most of our cocoa is grown on smallholdings in West Africa. Cocoa disease has hit some of these farms. Rather than use chemicals or cut down rainforest and plant on clean land, scientists are working with the BCCCA (Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association) and the global chocolate and cocoa industry to marry West African cocoa trees with their wild Ð and disease-resistant Ð ancestors from the South American rainforest. The resulting disease-resistant plants can be used on existing smallholdings.

Around 2.5 million farmers grow cocoa, relying on the income from our enjoyment of chocolate. In Ghana, the Government fixes the price per kilo each year so it's the same for all farmers. In countries where the market has been liberalised, cocoa farmers receive prices that can change daily in line with the London and New York cocoa markets.

The UK chocolate industry supports a number of schemes to improve the livelihoods of communities in cocoa-growing areas and protect them from price fluctuations. Fairtrade is one such approach, providing producers with a stable price which covers their production costs, along with a premium that their organization can reinvest either in the business or in social and environmental schemes among the wider community.

Information kindly provided by The Eden Project. Text copyright the Eden Project 2003