- Protect and restore forests
- Promote sustainable cocoa production and farmers’ livelihoods
- Engage communities and boost social inclusion
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF); IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative; and the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana drive the Cocoa & Forests Initiative. The Prince of Wales launched the Initiative in March 2017 and reviewed implementation progress in November 2018.
Deforestation of tropical rainforests is a major issue in Côted’ Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce nearly two-thirds of the world’s supply of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana respectively lost 26% and 9.3% of their humid primary forest between 2002 and 2020, with a significant portion of deforestation attributable to cocoa farming expansion.
Cocoa provides crucial income to communities in rural West Africa, but farmers are too often faced with poverty. Poverty is one of the causes of deforestation. Accelerating a transition to sustainable livelihoods is essential for farmers’ economic security and a healthy planet.