As you may already know, chocolate is good for your heart. And it's definitely good for your soul. Now, thanks to a team of researchers and farmers in Brazil, it turns out that chocolate could be good for the planet, too.

The Mata Atlantica rainforest in Brazil is in big trouble: In the hundreds of years since settlers have come into the area, chopping down trees and clearing land for farms, they've destroyed 93 percent of the rainforest. And the damage to the rainforest could affect the rest of the world, too: Whenever a tree is burned, more carbon is released into the air, causing the effects of global warming.

But plant expert Dario Ahnert of the State University of Santa Cruz in Eastern Brazil has a solution to the problem, and that's where everyone's favorite sweet treat comes in: Ahnert and his friend, cocao producer Joao Tavares, want to entice farmers to save the rainforests by planting cacao trees there, which are used to make chocolate.

In a method known as cabruca, cacao growers can chop down just a few of the rainforest trees, and plant the smaller cacao trees underneath. This method is easier on the forest than clearing a large plot of land, but it's easier on the farmers, too: On open land, Tavares told NPR, "you have more disease, more insects," that don't pose a problem in the shady rainforest.

Because the rainforest cacao beans are environmentally-grown, the farmers are often able to receive higher prices for their crop. There is also talk that farmers who use the cabruca growing method may soon be eligible for a carbon credit from the government, so they can receive money for their help in preserving the rainforest.

Want to try a chocolate that'll make you feel as good as it tastes? Then go for one of Dagoba's luscious bars, which are grown in the shade of the rainforest in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries. No need to feel guilty about your indulgence – you are helping the environment, after all.


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