Bridging the income gap for cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire

a Living Income learning project

This project is co-funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Timeline: September 2020 to February 2022

Project objective:

The main objective of the project is to test and validate the assumptions underlying the Fairtrade Living Income Reference Price model as a key component within a holistic living income approach, through the introduction of a farm management tool.

In order to validate the model, supply chain partners are to implement a range of activities to support farmers to improve their farm productivity towards the target values for cocoa yields, crop diversification and cost efficiency, as established in the model, while the cocoa is sold at the Living Income Reference Price.

Target Group:

Six Producer organizations in Cote d’Ivoire

Project description

In the scope of the Living Income learning project, an appropriate, user-friendly farm record and management tool, tailored to the context and capacities of Ivorian cocoa farmer households with low literacy levels, is designed and implemented. The tool captures data of farm yields and revenues (cocoa and other crops, including food for home consumption), expenditures and labour occupation and facilitates informed decision making and farm development planning to optimize cost efficiency and farm profitability. A gender inclusive approach is applied, in which both men and women in the household are involved in the farm record keeping and development planning to make sure all the different farming activities are captured and more inclusive decision making is fostered in the household economics.

The cooperatives technical staff and lead farmer/delegate structure are trained to roll-out of the tool among their membership, through adequate and intensive follow up coaching to farmers.

Project partners:

The key project partners include: Fairtrade Africa, Tony’s Chocolonely and Ben & Jerry’s.

Fairtrade Cooperations involved are KAPATCHIVA, ECOJAD, ECAM, SOCOOPACDI, COOPAZA, CAPRESSA.

Key documents and reports

Fairtrade Living Income Progress Report

Promoting living incomes in the cocoa sector: Policy options for consumer countries

For more information contact partnerships@fairtrade.net