What Happened in 2019? Highlights from a Year of Cocoa Sustainability Progress

We Have Zero Tolerance for Forced Labor in the Cocoa Supply Chain
WCF President Rick Scobey highlighted that although extremely rare, the cocoa and chocolate industry has zero tolerance for any instances of forced labor, modern slavery, or human trafficking in the cocoa supply chain.

How Cocoa Agroforestry Systems Can Help Farmers in West Africa
WCF Director of Agricultural Productivity Hervé Bisseleua illustrated how agroforestry systems can enable farmers to recover land lost to deforestation and land degradation, and to receive higher prices for cocoa.

Reframing Success in Tackling Child Labor
Scholar Kristy Leissle explored ways to look at child labor and reframing success in tackling it in cocoa communities in West Africa, with WCF member Nestlé's Cocoa Plan as an on-the-ground example.
 

2019 Partnership Meeting Drivers of Change
Sustainability experts, cocoa and chocolate company representatives, government officials, and more gathered in Berlin, Germany for the 2019 Partnership Meeting.

11 Years of the WCF Cocoa Livelihoods Program (CLP)
CLP came to a close after 11 years of management and implementation, culminating in a final report capturing lessons learned by WCF and companies over the course of the program.
 

Empowered Women Can Change the World, and Cocoa-growing Communities
WCF Social Development Director Youssouf N'Djoré showed how Village Savings and Loan Associations support gender empowerment, which in turn empowers the broader community.

The Long-term Net Income of Cocoa Producing Households is What Really Matters
WCF member Lindt & Sprüngli wrote about costs, incomes, and infrastructure as possible solutions to increasing the net income of farmers, their families, and communities around the world.

Stepping Forward to Support Cocoa Genetic Resources
WCF member Barry Callebaut committed new financial resources to support cocoa genetics at the international cocoa tree collections held in Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago and joined the Cocoa Research Association.

Cocoa & Forests Initiative Initial Action Plans
As part of the Cocoa & Forests Iniatitive, leading cocoa and chocolate companies and the governments of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana released initial action plans to end deforestation.