Founded in 2016 in Lausanne, SwissDeCode helps farmers and food manufacturers to grow and produce food that is safe to eat. At the forefront of food safety, authentication and compliance, the start-up offers a variety of rapid DNA detection solutions to help boost confidence in the entire food supply chain.
SwissDeCode’s main mandate is in food quality, authentication and compliance, offering a variety of DNA detection solutions to help boost confidence in the entire food supply chain. How does this link to the cocoa value chain?
SwissDeCode developed the first rapid, within an hour, on-site detection tool for cocoa swollen shoot disease (CSSD) in West Africa together with a major chocolate industry player. CSSD is an endemic cocoa tree disease in West Africa since the 1930s with no known cure, that reduces cocoa yield by up to 70 % before the tree dies. The tree can be asymptomatic for up to 2 years while continuing to infect surrounding trees. 12 % of Ivory Coast and 30 % of Ghana cocoa farms are infected by CCSD that causes significant economic losses and affects farmers livelihoods. Our technology allows the virus to be detected before the trees show symptoms and thus limit the disease transmission through appropriate measures within and between the cocoa plantations.
What has your impact on the cocoa sector been so far?
SwissDeCode's prototype of a rapid easy-to-perform test is currently being validated in Ivory Coast. It is intended for use by field personnel to test asymptomatic trees on-site obtaining the result in one hour. With its deployment in the cooperatives, the early identification of the infected area will enable measures to timely stop the spread of the virus to healthy trees in adjacent farms. The new rapid test will also benefit cocoa tree nurseries through the release of certified healthy planting material as well as assist monitoring of infected areas on an ongoing basis through regular census of cocoa plantations.
Where do you see SwissDeCode’s biggest potential to contribute to achieving SWISSCO’s goals regarding enhancing sustainability in the cocoa value chain?
SwissDeCode looks to enhance the sustainability efforts of SWISSCO in West Africa by helping the early detection of this devastating disease. Early detection protects farmers’ livelihoods and helps prevent deforestation from occurring when infected farms are abandoned, and virgin forests are cleared for new cocoa-growing areas. We therefore look forward to actively contributing to SWISSCO's sustainability efforts and to working with SWISSCO members on CSSD eradication, thus improving the living conditions of cocoa farmers while protecting natural resources.
What does SwissDeCode expect from a membership at SWISSCO?
As we continue to adapt the test to the different affected regions and cocoa nurseries, we very much look forward to bringing the CSSD testing tool to the farms in Ghana which are particularly hard hit by the virus. SWISSCO is very well placed to help these efforts, both regarding advocating for necessary further research (evolving genetic diversity and variability of the virus, genome sequencing etc.) and piloting / testing developed solutions in the field. We are pleased by the expressed interest of several SWISSCO members to help speed up this process.