Supporting Sustainable Cocoa Production

In recent decades, the continued and increasing demand for cocoa has contributed to significant forest loss and land degradation in cocoa producing countries around the world. The cocoa sector now faces the urgent need to establish more sustainable production practices, improve returns to farmers and reduce environmental degradation.

Transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient growth trajectory in cocoa production and processing will require significant investment and innovation. The private sector is uniquely positioned to play a substantial role in this transformation.

FCPF supports climate resilient growth through cocoa agroforestry

Agroforestry has long been identified as part of the solution to restoring degraded landscapes and improving the sustainability of cocoa production and other crops. It involves the integration of trees in agricultural landscapes to obtain benefits from the ecological and economic interactions between a mix of species.

The FCPF helps countries adopt an economically viable and climate resilient growth trajectory for the cocoa agroforestry supply chain by enhancing the knowledge of key stakeholders and their ability to apply it. To do this, the FCPF has engaged with key stakeholders from the global cocoa value chain, as well as with stakeholders from the biggest producing countries in West Africa and Latin America. This work has involved filling in knowledge and implementation gaps that need to be addressed to enhance the complementarity of private and public sector efforts.

The Cocoa & Forest Knowledge Exchange program

In 2021, the FCPF supported a 10-month Cocoa & Forest Knowledge Exchange program working with cocoa sector stakeholders from Latin America and West Africa (in Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ghana, and Peru) to promote and strengthen a global network of sustainable cocoa producers. In collaboration with Alisos and Kinomé, the program was divided into two phases:

1)  The first five sessions (January to May 2021) were conducted with a core group of key cocoa stakeholders from each country building alliances and expanding technical knowledge and experiences.

2)  From June to October 2021, a new phase brought together stakeholders of the cocoa value chain as well as interested organizations, initiatives, and institutions. In five interactive sessions, participants were able to connect, exchange, and learn different realities in cocoa production, processing, distribution, and commercialization. Read more in the FCPF’s Wider Group Brochure.

Read more on the Full program

Download the Cocoa & Forests Program Final Report

Global Implementation Guide for cocoa agroforestry

The FCPF’s 2022 “Global Implementation Guide of cocoa agroforestry” is based on a detailed assessment of existing agroforestry models being implemented globally, focusing on their financial viability and the technical capacity needed for implementation. The guide also assesses the tension between environmental and economic costs and benefits for different cocoa sector value chain actors, including the private sector. The guide was developed in a participatory manner, through a range of FCPF South-South Knowledge Exchange webinars and focus group discussions.

Global guide for the implementation of sustainable cocoa agroforestry (English, French, Spanish)

Cost Benefit Simulator (English, French, Spanish)

By using the data collected in FCPF case studies, films and throughout the development of the Guide for Cocoa Agroforestry, the FCPF produced a practical tool to allow users to simulate the costs and benefits of cocoa agroforestry projects they wish to implement.

This Cost Benefit Simulator:

1) Presents the key results of the case studies in a visual way; and

2)  Is an interface where users can select a model, change values (on cocoa yields per year, yields of other crops, unit implementation/management costs, prices), and consult theoretical results. This will be an open access model that could be improved year after year.

Video series: Capturing experiences in sustainable cocoa production

The FCPF has produced a series of six short videos showcasing cocoa and agroforestry good practices in Africa and Latin America. These were developed to illustrate the range of topics in the FCPF’s Guide for Cocoa Agroforestry, including: technical design; innovative finance and public-private partnerships; working with smallholders; Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV;) and Early Warning Systems (EWS).

Watch the videos: