Cocoa

Challenges

Rising demand, strains on land

The global demand for cocoa is rising. Yet the majority of the world’s cocoa producers are stuck in a cycle of poverty, unable to meet personal needs nor demand. While a lack of access to inputs and knowledge on good farming practices continues to strain the land.

Lack of access to training and inputs

Smallholders produce 95% of all cocoa, usually on plots of 1-3 hectares. Yet these smallholders and producer organizations cannot easily access training, inputs, markets, or financing. This leads to either a complete lack of inputs, or a misuse of the inputs that are obtained. This results in low, poor quality yields.

Gender exclusion

Although it’s not uncommon for women who head households in West Africa and Latin America to grow cocoa, they’re often left out of farmer cooperatives and organizations. This can have a negative impact on yields, families and communities.

Deforestation

Forests are cleared to make room for cocoa farms, reducing the biodiversity of the very ecosystems on which farms depend. A reduction in biodiversity lowers the amount of nutrients in the soil, which in turn reduces yields. The result of this is usually further deforestation to gain access to more fertile soil.

“When I started as a producer I didn’t have much training. I only grew my crops, but I didn’t know how to deal directly with the crops. Since Solidaridad came up with his project I have learned a lot.”
Francisco Cruz, cocoa farmer, Tuerê, Brazil

Solutions

Market transformation

We believe in a market transformation approach that works simultaneously with farmers, markets, consumers and governments – where one cannot make progress without the other. We bring all supply chain actors together to secure the future of cocoa farming.

Supporting farmers

Farmers with knowledge and skills – and access to credit and fertilizer – are three times as productive. This is not only beneficial for farmers – it means that companies can rely on a steady supply of good cocoa. High yielding cocoa production systems enhance ecosystem services and improve local food security.

Engaging with businesses and governments

Companies and governments are an integral part of a sustainable cocoa industry. They assist in increasing access, availability and affordability of inputs, knowledge and credit for sustainable cocoa. Thanks to public-private cooperation, about 20% of West Africa’s 2.5 million cocoa farmers now receive training and access to support.

Increasing producer income

We support the production of special cocoa beans and access to trade in fine chocolates. The premium bean-to-bar market pays up to four times more for cocoa beans. In Brazil, we supported producers to start supplying cocoa beans to Casa Lasevicius, a maker of artisanal chocolate in São Paulo. This is a great opportunity for producers to increase their income and contribute to the social development of their communities.

“I am a member of the cooperative and learned in training programmes. As a result, my yields are high, I have more income and I’m teaching other farmers now.”
Enan Abblé, cocoa farmer, Kragui, Côte d’Ivoire

Achievements

strengthening local cooperatives

In Pará, Brazil, we supported 1,114 new families, implemented 215 new hectares of cocoa agroforestry systems, and were awarded a blended finance project by the Brazilian Development Bank for increasing producers’ ability to afford technical assistance. The local cooperative we strengthened Coopercau, now serves around 50 producing families who pay for this service.

Adding value

In 2021, we trained 8,035 cocoa farmers in West Africa in good agricultural practices and improved farm management and diversification approaches to enhance productivity. Additionally, 641,358 cocoa seedlings were raised, out of which 638,318 covering 982 hectares were distributed to 928 farmers for planting to improve their livelihoods. To promote value addition in the Liberian cocoa sector, Solidaridad integrated the Women Agri-Vocational and Entrepreneurship concept into its programme with 45 rural women’s groups, adding value to their cocoa beans production.

Achieving results

Solidaridad reached 58,491 cocoa farmers in West Africa with good agricultural practices and crop diversification approaches for income and livelihoods resilience. Additionally, old and unproductive cocoa farms were rehabilitated using high-yielding hybrid seedlings integrated with shade trees for ecosystem enhancement.

In Nicaragua, we modeled best practices for producers and promoters in demonstration plots and field schools. Cocoa farmers leveraged newly certified (Rainforest Alliance) cooperatives —where sales increased by 118 percent in 2020— to market their production. Meanwhile, cocoa-farming families in South America received technical assistance (TA) to adopt low-carbon agriculture, improving their cocoa productivity by 35 percent and their gross income by 51 percent.

Bean-to-bar success

In 2019, through our bean-to-bar partnership with Case Lasevicius, three tonness of the cocoa were sold at an average price of 25 Brazilian reals (5 euros) per kg, generating a gross income of 75,000 reals (15,000 euros) for eight producers in the project. In Nicaragua, Solidaridad worked with BICU University to develop the first agroforestry cocoa diploma, giving priority participation to women and youth, while n Honduras, members of the national network of women in cocoa and chocolate learned to process and market cocoa products, leading to the launch of several women-led enterprises.

In West Africa, we helped establish the first roundtable to secure favourable land tenure arrangements for cocoa farmers in Ghana, and supported 1,600 youth to establish 789 hectares of cocoa farms. Through Ghana’s COCOBOD, lessons were shared with rural service centres to drive service delivery by small and growing businesses, and in Liberia and Sierra Leone, we contributed to national cocoa platforms as well as policy and regulatory arrangements for the sector.

Improving productivity

Across our cocoa programmes, we helped improve farmer-level productivity. For example, in Liberia, farmers planted 382,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings on newly established farms translating to 45,000 hectares of land. In Cote d’Ivoire, we supported the set up of 393 Village Savings and Loans Associations with a membership of 8,150 (94% women). The aim is to empower women, develop a savings culture and facilitate access to affordable finance for women cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire.

Making strides

Solidaridad took significant steps for the cocoa sector in 2017, especially in West Africa. It engaged public and private organizations to secure co-funding to upscale activities, enable new businesses and enhance environmental governance. Solidaridad also designed a climate-smart business case for cocoa producers and enhanced multi-stakeholder platforms in order to promote landscape governance and influence public and private policies to reduce deforestation.

Women & youth take center stage

Solidaridad focused on supporting innovations that placed women and youth at the heart of business development. Programmes included giving tailor-made entrepreneurship and life-skills training, modeling viable business opportunities to prove profitability and making the case for impact investment. Activities were aimed at supporting the development of a thriving professionalized cocoa sector for the future. Solidaridad took concrete steps to support climate-smart cocoa production through the development and testing of low carbon balance tools.

What is the impact?

The ‘For the Love of Chocolate’ documentary with the National Geographic Channel boosted awareness of Solidaridad’s cocoa programme.

Solidaridad and Cargill commissioned external impact assessments in Ghana and Ivory Coast. An external impact assessment by KPMG indicated the following results from the start of the CIP programme: 151,000 farmers trained and certified, producing over 414,000 tonnes of certified cocoa, and sharp increase of both public and private investments in cocoa.

Where we work

Featured Programmes

Climate heroes

Our Climate Heroes carbon insetting programme works with companies to cut carbon emissions in coffee and cocoa supply chains that originate with smallholder farmers in Colombia, Nicaragua, Kenya and Uganda.

Run by Solidaridad, ACORN, Cool Farm Alliance, Fairfood, and &ranj, the Climate Heroes project aims to link 100,000 smallholder farmers to Rabobank’s ACORN carbon platform.

From Bean to Bar

Solidaridad and Casa Lasevicius chocolateria launched a new terroir of fine chocolates from the region of Tuerê settlement, in Novo Repartimento, Pará (Brazil), with 70% cacao. Jader, Odair, Rosilene and Zezinho farms produced the first batch of special almonds for the chocolate.

Climate heroes

Run by Solidaridad, ACORN, Cool Farm Alliance, Fairfood, and &ranj, the Climate Heroes project aims to link 100,000 smallholder farmers to Rabobank’s ACORN carbon platform.

Climate heroes

Run by Solidaridad, ACORN, Cool Farm Alliance, Fairfood, and &ranj, the Climate Heroes project aims to link 100,000 smallholder farmers to Rabobank’s ACORN carbon platform.