Addressing Challenges in West African Cocoa Farming
Our West Africa Director talks about the ongoing challenges in the cocoa sector.
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What's at Stake
West and Central Africa have strong rural economies set within some of the world's largest forest expanses. The Congo Basin spans eight countries, contains the world's second largest contiguous forest, and boasts abundant biodiversity and natural resources. It also provides food, water, and shelter to some 75 million people.
Cocoa farmers face economic hardship, climate change
Seventy percent of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa, where cocoa cultivation is a way of life reaching back for generations. Most of the cocoa throughout the region is grown by smallholder farmers who struggle not only with economic hardship, but also with the effects of climate change—hotter temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and a shift in growing seasons.
Our Work
Sustainable agriculture and community forestry are powerful strategies for conserving the abundance of natural resources in West and Central Africa. In addition to our work to conserve the forests of the Congo Basin, we partner with farming communities to build climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture landscapes.
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The Future of Farming Begins with Young Farmers in Kenya
Future Farmers begins with a one-acre demo farm in Kagio, Kenya, where everything is an opportunity for experimentation and growth.
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Strengthening Transparency in West Africa’s Cocoa Supply Chain
Collaboration is key to affecting change that will improve the lives of cocoa farmers and their families.
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Cocoa Farmers Help Protect Last Primary Rainforest in Côte d’Ivoire
We're helping farmers increase their incomes and conserve a precious ecosystem.
All resources for West & Central Africa
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Media Coverage
Cocoa Planting is Destroying Protected Forests in West Africa, Study Finds
Global trade in chocolate, worth more than $1 trillion dollars a year, is leading to widespread deforestation in Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Article
Thriving Communities, Healthy Landscapes
We're helping more than two million farmers embrace more sustainable growing practices that can help build resilience to climate change and boost yields.
Impact Study
Towards Sustainable Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire: The Impacts and Contribution of UTZ Certification Combined with Services Provided by Companies
This impact evaluation was commissioned to Wageningen University, and analyses the contribution of certification and interventions of companies implementing certification with groups of farmers in... View more
Impact Study
Impacts of Cocoa Sustainability Initiatives in West Africa
This scientific article analyses the social, economic, and environmental effects of voluntary standards initiatives and corporate initiatives in the cocoa sector in West Africa, largely focusing on... View more
Article
Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa
We work with almost one million cocoa farmers to build thriving livelihoods and climate resilience through certification and training.
Media Coverage
Project to Tackle Child Labour in Cocoa and Gold Mining Sectors Launched
The Rainforest Alliance has launched a project to tackle forced and child labour in the cocoa and gold mining sectors of Ghana.