Rhizospheric cadmium (Cd) solubility reducing bioprocess (ES)

The empowerment of the Latin American market for fine flavored cocoa has been limited by the high cadmium (Cd) content in the beans. The project proposes an innovative, efficient and climate-smart bioprocess to reduce Cd bioaccumulation, accompanied by a land application protocol. The bioprocess will involve: (a) the isolation of a consortium of native fungi from cocoa plantation soils, capable of reducing the root and aerial bioaccumulation coefficient (CBr,a ); (b) the validation of the bioprocess in bioreactors and the scaling up to Technological Maturity Levels (TRL) 6 and 7 to cocoa farms of family farmers (AF). All this will be done through Technical Cooperation (TC) between scientists, family farmers (FF) and the business and governmental sectors in Ecuador, Argentina, Spain and Venezuela. At the same time, the knowledge generated will be managed and transferred through publications and training, with an estimated total of 3,130 direct beneficiaries and 3,000 indirect beneficiaries involved in the cocoa value chain.