Bittersweet

In the complex and global cocoa industry, there are vast numbers of cocoa farmers, yet they represent the weakest link in the economic chain. Processes of globalization and liberalization have affected their livelihood adversely; with minimal access to resources, the farmers have difficulty anticipating, understanding and responding to these global developments. One would imagine that the farmers would organize to combat unfair practices. Ghanaian farmers, however, are not particularly interested in working together; they prefer to wait for support from the government, from buyers and from donors, insisting that without this help they would be forced to continue employing their children as farmhands. As we listen to the stories told by the farmers, chocolate, which once tasted so sweet, starts to take on a bitter taste...