
Cocoa & Forests Initiative Reports Progress Despite Challenging Year
[VERSION FRANCAISE CI-DESSOUS] Côte d’Ivoire adopted a national satellite system to monitor deforestation for CFI, and planted almost 10 million… Read More
The governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and 35 leading cocoa and chocolate companies have joined together in the Cocoa & Forests Initiative to end deforestation and restore forest areas. In Colombia, the government and cocoa and chocolate companies signed the Cocoa, Forest & Peace Initiative to eliminate cocoa-related deforestation.
[VERSION FRANCAISE CI-DESSOUS] Côte d’Ivoire adopted a national satellite system to monitor deforestation for CFI, and planted almost 10 million… Read More
Deforestation is a major issue in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce nearly two-thirds of the world’s supply of cocoa. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana respectively lost 25% and 8% of their primary forest between 2002-2019, with a significant portion of deforestation due to cocoa farming.
To end deforestation and restore forest areas, the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and 35 leading cocoa and chocolate companies have joined together in the Cocoa & Forests Initiative since 2017.
Here are key actions by cocoa and chocolate companies:
Agroforestry, or mixing forest and cocoa trees, restores ecosystems, stabilizes yields and provides alternative sources of income. In 2020 alone, companies have distributed 6 million forest trees for planting on farms.
Read Lucas’ story to understand how this works on his cocoa farm.
In 82% (Ghana) and 74% (Côte d’Ivoire) of cases when they buy directly from the farmers, cocoa and chocolate companies have tracked the cocoa from the farm to the first purchase point, identified each farmer with a unique number, and mapped their plots. These high numbers were achieved despite farmers moving in and out of sourcing programs and are the result of significant investments with almost 605,000 cocoa farms mapped this year.
How is this possible? Read Jean-Marie and Raphaelle‘s stories.
Good agricultural practices generate better yields on cocoa farms. And better livelihoods mean less incentive to encroach on forests to plant cocoa.
Hamidu explains how he works with cocoa farmers to get these results.
It’s important to ensure farming communities have access to finance to invest in their livelihoods. Companies also support 4,500 rural savings groups – VSLAs – with a total of 109,000 members in 2020.
Read Ardjouma‘s story on financial training, and learn how getting involved in a VLSA helped Lucie and her neighbors.
At the November 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP23), the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and leading chocolate and cocoa companies signed the Cocoa & Forests Initiative Frameworks for Action.
In March 2019, another milestone was reached to strengthen transparency and accountability in the cocoa supply chain: the signatories released action plans that spell out concrete steps to end cocoa-related deforestation. The action plans focus on:
In 2020, the Cocoa & Forests Initiative reported on the first two years of implementation. Cocoa and chocolate companies focused on teaching farmers to grow more cocoa on less land, planting forest trees, and mapping farms to understand better where their cocoa comes from.
Visit Francis’s farm and learn how he is coping with climate change:
In line with Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land) and the Paris Climate Agreement, Cocoa & Forests Initiative companies and governments have committed to:
Barry Callebaut, Blommer Chocolate Company(1), Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate, Cémoi(1), Chocolats Halba (2), Cococo Chocolatiers, ECOM Group(2), The Export Trading Group, Ferrero, GCB Cocoa(1), General Mills Inc., Godiva Chocolatier Inc., Guittard Chocolate Company, The Hershey Company, Indcresa(2), JB Foods(1), Kuapa Kokoo(2), Lindt & Sprüngli Group, Marks & Spencer Food, Mars Wrigley, Meiji Co. Ltd.(2), Mondelēz, Nestlé, Olam Cocoa, Puratos(1), Sainsbury’s, SIAT(1), Starbucks(1), Sucden, Toms Group(2), Touton, Unilever(1), UPL, Valrhona, J.H. Whittaker & Sons(2) (1) Côte d’Ivoire only (2) Ghana only
CFI is facilitated by IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative. Financial partners include the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Partnerships for Forests, and the World Bank. CFI is coordinated with Amsterdam Declaration Partnership, Beyond Chocolate, Dutch Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa, German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, Proforest, Rainforest Alliance, Swiss Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa, Tropical Forest Alliance, World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Fund.
In 2018, Colombia became the first country from Latin America to join Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on signing on to the principles of the Initiative. Through the Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative, the Government of Colombia, WCF members Compañía Nacional de Chocolates and Luker Chocolate, and the National Cocoa Federation are committed to eliminate deforestation from the country’s cocoa supply chain.
The commitment is supported by the World Resources Institute and IDH-the Sustainable Trade Initiative.
Companies and governments are stepping up – we call on development partners and civil society organizations to join us and support long-term solutions for sustainable cocoa production and forest management.
Alain-Richard Donwahi Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Water and Forests
Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) signatories released reports of their progress from 2018-2019 towards ending deforestation and restoring forest areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Watch this video for the highlights.