Helping children, families, communities
Responsible Labor Practices in Cocoa Farming
The chocolate and cocoa industry is working to improve the well-being of children and adults on cocoa farms worldwide. This work includes a commitment to ensuring that cocoa is farmed in a responsible manner.
The industry is working with West African governments, NGOs and labor experts to design and implement “certification” for cocoa farming labor practices. The program is part of a broader ongoing effort to promote economic and social development in cocoa farming communities.
Certification for cocoa farming addresses two principal questions:
What child and adult labor issues exist on cocoa farms in West Africa?
Are steps being taken to address these issues? How are the lives of children and families on cocoa farms improving?
When implemented, the process will certify that within a country’s cocoa sector, efforts are in place to measure and report on labor practices and help those who may be in a child labor or forced labor situation.
Hundreds of experts, representing a wide range of government agencies, organizations and industry, have worked since 2001 to develop a credible certification system for cocoa farming - - something never before attempted over such a large rural area in the developing world.
In 2007, the Government of Ghana will release its first certification report. This report will be based on in-person visits by trained surveyors to more than 500 farms across multiple cocoa farming districts. To learn more about certification, click on any of the links below: