Five years ago, the German “Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa” initiated the joint project “Pro-Planteurs” together with the German and the Ivorian government. Through specific measures within its four components – strengthening farmer organizations, improving cocoa farming, improving nutrition through diversification, and joint learning – the project aims to improve the livelihoods of 20,000 cocoa farming families in the south-eastern part of Ivory Coast. At the same time, natural resources and biodiversity should be conserved and preserved, and the proportion of sustainably produced cocoa should be increased.

What is the current state of the project today? This question was answered recently by an event at trade fair ISM/ProSweets 2020 in Cologne. Different project participants drew a positive balance: Pro-Planteurs already succeeded in implementing most planned activities. 35 cooperatives are professionalized with an immediate impact on their creditworthiness and thereby their investments. Training in Good Agricultural Practices and the distribution of almost 50,000 shade trees for 1,500 ha of cultivated land so far are intended to improve cocoa yields and contribute to the conservation of natural resources, such as the remaining rainforests.

The trend in farmers’ incomes is also improving. Despite the sharp drop in the world market price for cocoa in the 2017/18 season, it still increased slightly. However, the income of most cocoa farmers is still significantly below a level to secure their livelihood.

Currently, the follow-up phase of the project is under preparation. One focus will be on the income improvement of the farmers. The project will be expanded to 50 cooperatives with a total of 30,000 farmers.