Cocoa Livelihoods Program Summary
In early 2009, the World Cocoa Foundation announced a new, $40 million program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 chocolate industry companies to significantly improve the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 cocoa farmers in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. The innovative, five-year Cocoa Livelihoods Program focuses on enhancing farmer knowledge and competitiveness, improving productivity and quality, promoting crop diversification and improving supply chain efficiency. These initiatives will help increase farmer incomes and significantly improve cocoa community wellbeing.
The program will train farmers in better production techniques, quality improvement and business skills; professionalize farmer organizations to better meet member needs; and improve farmer access to agricultural inputs and improved-quality seedlings. The program also will improve farmer access to market information and opportunities for diversification into alternative food and cash crops to maximize income and security.
The Cocoa Livelihoods Program is managed by the World Cocoa Foundation and is implemented through a consortium of five organizations, including Agribusiness Services International (ASI) an ACDI/VOCA affiliate, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)/ Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), SOCODEVI and TechnoServe. In addition to the $23 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, over $17 million in financial support and in-kind contributions come from the private sector: major branded manufacturers The Hershey Company, Kraft Foods and Mars, Incorporated; cocoa processors Archer Daniels Midland Company, Barry Callebaut, Blommer Chocolate Company and Cargill; and supply chain managers and allied industries Armajaro, Ecom-Agrocacao, Guittard Chocolate Company, Noble Resources S.A., Olam International Ltd., Petra Foods Ltd., Starbucks Coffee Company and Transmar Commodity Group Ltd.; and contributors to Technical Partners: the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The governments of the participating West and Central African countries are full partners in the program’s implementation.
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Video: Cocoa Livelihoods Program - Farmer Production and Business Training
Collaboration with all program partners, including the national governments, is an essential component of the Cocoa Livelihoods Program to ensure the activities meet the needs of the farmers and enhance the program’s outreach within each country. To date the Cocoa Livelihoods Program has been officially launched in four of the five countries and representatives of these governments have offered their full endorsement of the program.
Highlights from Launch Ceremonies:
Mr. Anthony Fofie, CEO, Ghana Cocoa Board October 2009
“We welcome this opportunity to improve the lives of so many Ghanaian cocoa farmers and look forward to collaborating with other stakeholders to make this program a success. Since February [2009], the Ghana Cocoa Board has been actively engaged on the program’s Steering Committee helping to plan for the start of activities in the 2010 growing season.” (Click here for full press release from Ghana program launch)
Gilbert Anoh N’guessan, President of the Coffee-Cocoa Sector Management Committee (CGFCC), Republic of Côte d’Ivoire February 2010
“Cocoa is a vital component of our economy and a major part of the daily lives of so many people in Côte d’Ivoire. This program is a wonderful opportunity for us to work with the private sector, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, our colleagues in other cocoa-producing countries, and the World Cocoa Foundation to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire.” (Click here for full press release from Côte d’Ivoire program launch)
Dr. Sayyadi Ruma, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources March 2010
“Since the Nigeria Sustainable Cocoa Development Committee adopted the farmer field school approach a few years ago, we have been working to improve the state extension agencies’ ability to reach farmers through this approach. Experience has shown us that this is a very effective way for reaching cocoa farmers and we are excited about this opportunity to expand these efforts further.” (Click here for full press release from program launch)
Michael Ndoping, Director General, National Cocoa and Coffee Board of Cameroon May 2010
“A major objective of this program is improvement in cocoa yields and quality. This is very much in line with our national goals for developing the sector. Amongst other activities, the program will help farmers to reduce losses to diseases, such as black pod, and learn proper post-harvest techniques.” (Click here for full press release from program launch)
PROGRAM PARTICIPANT SPOTLIGHT
Mr. Marc Guré is one of the hundreds of thousands of cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire who collectively produce 40% of the world’s cocoa. The 400-member farmer organization that he belongs to will participate in the Cocoa Livelihoods Program.
Mr. Guré is one of the organizations’ most profitable members. Visiting his farm, it is evident how he achieved this reputation. Part of his success is due to the inclusion of food crops that can be sold within his community such as pineapple, papaya and yams. This allows him to diversify his income and have access to immediate cash from the local market.
He utilizes every aspect of his farm, including the cocoa pod husks from the previous season. “I’ll make ash from these,” he notes “and my wife can take the ash and make soap for our family.” He was very proud of his farm of approximately 5.6 hectares (14 acres) and his visibly healthy cocoa trees.
Through Cocoa Livelihoods Program, his farmer organization will be strengthened and its members will learn better cocoa production techniques and business skills and they will have a link to credit and input supplies.