Investing in sustainable planet and livelihoods for cocoa farmers

Lifting cocoa farmers from poverty, tackling child and forced labor, improving gender equality, ending deforestation, and empowering cocoa farmers’ organizations were some of the main points raised during the panel discussion of FAO Brussels World Food Day celebration. Experts speaking at the event all agreed on the urgent need to improve sustainability in cocoa production through holistic and community-based interventions. The debate looked at the path followed by cocoa from farm to shelf, exploring ways to ensure that cocoa value chains are sustainable, just, inclusive, and supportive of local livelihoods.  

“While Côte d’Ivoire is the number one cocoa producer in the world, its farmers only receive between 5 percent and 7 percent of the profit generated by this sector globally,” stressed FAO Representative to Côte d’Ivoire, Samy Gaiji. Seen as more than just a one-off debate, the panel discussion invited the audience and panelists to brainstorm and reflect together on ways to transform the cocoa value chain. For example, the use of technology and traceability systems can guarantee more responsible cocoa production and processing, protect natural resources and ecosystems, and help increase the prices local farmers can get for their product while preserving the planet, its natural resources and ecosystems.  

“Without cocoa, there can be no chocolate and without cocoa farmers there can be no cocoa. Addressing the precarious situation of cocoa farmers, building the resilience of farming communities by improving their access to inputs, equipment and financial services while fighting unfair competition and empowering women and youth, is the backbone of a sustainable cocoa production and transformation,” said Boti Sahuié Louis, President of the Cooperative Society of the Union of Professional Coffee, Cocoa, Cashew and Food Planters of Côte d’Ivoire. Mr Sahuie’ also highlighted the role of cooperatives in guaranteeing the subsistence of cocoa producers, improving their working and living conditions, thus reducing the likelihood of child and forced labour and  poverty, and helping to mobilize financial resources and professionalize the occupation.

Mr Samuel Poos, Coordinator of the Trade for Development Centre of ENABEL, stressed the importance of creating an enabling environment for cocoa farmers by strengthening the capacities of African Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and producer organizations in marketing and management through tailor-made and participative trainings.

“Coaching makes cooperatives more professional and more demanding” said Mr Poos. He said that 40 MSMEs working in the cocoa sector and three business support organizations of Côte d’Ivoire have participated in such trainings since 2016, resulting in greater ownership, better internal and external communication, market diversification, and market opportunities. 

Partnerships with governments and other relevant actors are essential to achieve lasting change in the cocoa sector and address challenges, including deforestation and child and forced labour. FAO Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, is working closely with the Ivorian Government to find sustainable solutions for deforestation and child labour-free cocoa value chains.

Mr David Solano Grima, FAO Expert in Project Formulation and Monitoring, told participants that new FAO programmes in Côte d’Ivoire will focus on promoting cocoa production without deforestation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The projects will also scale up cocoa-based food systems while promoting a series of improvements: transformative and innovative solutions for land use and restoration; increased adaptive capacity and resilience of local communities to climate change (focusing on cocoa, rice and cassava); better living conditions for farmers and their families, and the elimination of child labour.

“This work will not bring lasting change without supporting multi-stakeholder alliances in order to make advances on cocoa farmers’ living income and a smart mix of regulatory and non-regulatory measures at the demand side of the cocoa value chain to avoid placing of products associated with deforestation on the EU market,” underscored Mr Sebastian Lesch, Head of Division International Agricultural Policy, Agriculture, Innovation of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).  He pointed out that “ensuring a living income for cocoa producers and tackling deforestation in the cocoa supply chain are pressing issues and primary objectives” for BMZ. 

The role of the private sector in the cocoa value chain cannot be underestimated, as its actors work closely with farmers, considering their individual needs and allowing them to allocate resources more effectively explained Mr Charles Snoeck, Programme Manager at Beyond Chocolate, a partnership of more than 100 companies, civil society organizations and public sector organizations in Belgium. He underscored the importance of empowering every actor to make its contribution in having more sustainable cocoa value chains and Beyond Chocolate’s aim of creating a level-playing field for all actors. 

These efforts emphasize the need for a common vision and strategy, by moving from individual initiatives to sector-wide coherent and coordinated action at global, regional and local level to succeed in building sustainable and resilient cocoa value chains. This is the objective of the “EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa,” recently launched by the European Commission.  Cristina Miranda Gozalvez, Head of Unit for African, Caribbean and Pacific, Overseas Countries and Territories at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) and Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit for Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), underscored the need to support farmer organizations, agroecological practices, agricultural research for development and a digital agenda. Both EU officials stressed that only joint engagement and action from all stakeholders can bring the expected results and changes in the cocoa sector, while fighting child labour, poverty and deforestation.  

In conclusion, the panel wrapped up with a series of recommendations and calls for bold actions to make sustainable cocoa value chains a reality which all panelists could agree on:

• A dialogue/platform involving all interested actors.
• Promotion of innovative and sustainable agricultural practices to positively impact the fight against deforestation, gender inequalities, child labor and land degradation.
• Recognition of the importance of cocoa farmers’ livelihoods and the fight against hunger and poverty.

Ensuring a strong willingness of all stakeholders to work together and align actions.