News from the Field highlights World Cocoa Foundation staff travels to WCF program sites and partners' events in cocoa-producing countries.

This issue highlights Bill Guyton's trip to Côte d'Ivoire.

In early September, I visited several cocoa farming communities in Côte d'Ivoire. This visit was particularly rewarding for me, since I was able to not only see the impact of the programs the World Cocoa Foundation supports, but also the strengthening collaboration among our partners on the ground. Joining me on the trip were Jean-Yves Couloud (Sustainable Tree Crops Program), Euphrasie Aka (Sustainable Tree Crops Program), Fanny Saraho (International Foundation for Education and Self-Help) and Patrice Kassi (Winrock International). Peter Murphy, the bureau chief for Reuters News Agency in Abidjan, also accompanied us on the trip and later filed this story.

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the village of N'Gbasso, 150 kilometers outside Abidjan, where WCF and its partners support farmer training and education programs. We attended a Farmer Field School session conducted by the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) and had the opportunity to meet many of the farmers participating in the program. Mr. Baki Gonsongo is one of the farmers who shared his story.

Mr. Gonsongo (pictured) is a 45 year-old farmer who is originally from Burkina Faso. He is a sharecropper on the farm where the Farmer Field School is held and also has his own 5 hectare cocoa plot. Last year, Mr. Gonsongo was considering abandoning the 1 hectare sharecropped plot because it was only producing 300 kg of cocoa per year. Through the Farmer Field School, he learned techniques for improving farm productivity such as phytosanitary harvesting, rational use of pesticides, and pest and disease control. By implementing these techniques on both his personal farm and the sharecropped plot, he was able to increase annual production to 400 kg per hectare only one year later. With the extra income, he was able to pay for his wife's medical expenses and purchase a cell phone to communicate regularly with his parents in Burkina Faso.

More stories from the Farmer Field School and my trip to Côte d'Ivoire are posted on the World Cocoa Foundation Blog. I would like to thank Jean-Yves Couloud, Euphrasie Aka, Fanny Saraho and Patrice Kassi for organizing this visit and especially appreciate Mrs. Aka's assistance in recording the farmers' stories.

Best Wishes from Côte d'Ivoire, Bill

The Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) is implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. STCP provides farmer training through the interactive Farmer Field School methodology. Trained facilitators guide the discussions and hands-on activities with farmers providing input on the topics to be covered.

WCF and The Hershey Company support the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help's work to provide teacher training and functional literacy classes in Côte d'Ivoire. The program also works with teacher training institutes in Ghana.

WCF, Mars Inc., the Norwegian Association of Chocolate Manufacturers and Cloetta Fazer sponser the CLASSE Program implemented by Winrock International. The program provides vocational education to in-school and out-of-school youth in Côte d'Ivoire.

Read and comment about recent events and staff travels in the World Cocoa Foundation Blog.