Mars Overhauls Cocoa Sustainability Program To Focus Squarely On Farmer Income

Mars Overhauls Cocoa Sustainability Program To Focus Squarely On Farmer Income

Mile Désirée is a cocoa farmer in Cote d'Ivoire and a part of the Mars sustainable cocoa pilot ... [+] program. The program has an aim to double incomes by 2030. Mile is a member of CAVA co-operative in Cote d'Ivoire and grows around two tonnes of cocoa per year, which is less than the average for her group. To cover her costs, Mile also grows maize, chilis and cassava flour. Today Mars is announcing a pilot program to double the income of 14, 000 farmers in its cocoa supply chain by 2030. The program will focus on Cote d'Ivoire and Indonesia, regions in which the bulk of the world's cocoa is grown. The programs were designed in conjunction with USAID, the Fairtrade Foundation and farmer organizations in both countries. Last year, Ben and Jerry's announced a similar program targeting 5, 000 farmers in Cote d'Ivoire. Between 2010 and 2020, dozens of sustainability commitments were made by the world's top chocolate manufacturers. Most of these programs had one singular focus: to increase cocoa productivity in West Africa. None of these programs achieved the intended result of increasing cocoa productivity and subsequently impacting farmer livelihoods at scale. After a review of