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Milka maker Mondelez International is set to help farmers increase sustainable cocoa production in Ivory Coast following an agreement with the local Conseil du Café Cacao. The chocolate giant will work with NGO Care International to lead a variety of ‘Cocoa Life’ projects.
Mondelez International’s collaboration in Cote d’Ivoire is an important milestone for its Cocoa Life programme, which last November made a $100m commitment to help 75,000 Ivorian farmers double their productivity. In total, Cocoa Life is a $400m, 10-year commitment to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of more than 200,000 cocoa farmers and about 1m people in cocoa farming communities around the world.
“A sustainable cocoa supply begins with thriving farming communities, and more efficient farming leads to farmers’ financial security,” commented Christine M. McGrath, vp of external affairs and Cocoa Life at Mondelez International. “Partnering is key to creating lasting change through our Cocoa Life programme, and together with the Ivorian government and Care International, we’re empowering cocoa farming families to create the kind of communities they and their children want to live in, while promoting gender equality.”
Cocoa Life has begun a pilot in Ivory Coast with Care International working in 11 villages to help nearly 4,000 farmers boost their cocoa-growing productivity and improve the livelihoods of nearly 40,000 community members. Cocoa Life and Care have already organised community meetings where farming families discuss their needs and priorities and create Community Action Plans to achieve specific development outcomes, such as expanding farmer field schools on cocoa growing. As gender equality is a key pillar of Cocoa Life, the programme has held specific meetings for women farmers so their voices are heard in cocoa communities.
Mondelez recently launched www.cocoalife.org to bolster the initiative and empower farmers to share their stories. The site will serve as a platform for increased reporting and transparency to share progress against goals.
