At the inaugural World Cocoa Conference in 2012, the industry woke up. Realising the future of cocoa supply was at serious risk, the big companies united to make a series of commitments to sustainable production. Since then, strategies have been put in place to increase productivity and improve agricultural practices. But four years on, what has changed for farmers?
Ivory Coast may be the lead global exporter of cocoa, but producers still live in mud houses without electricity. Schools and hospitals are built in cities, leaving our villages without services. There is no public transport and the roads are badly maintained. On top of all this, 80% of the population live on just 40p per day.
The global cocoa industry is worth billions, yet producers in my country are still enduring poverty and hardship. How can we expect them to continue producing cocoa at this cost? The average age of a cocoa farmer in West Africa is 51, because our children are migrating to cities in search of a better life. If we want the next generation to continue farming, something has to change.
Development schemes are useless without producer consultation
Cocoa communities urgently need development, but we don’t want companies or the state to invest solely in well-meaning schemes which will ultimately be a waste of money because they haven’t taken our needs into account. Recent developments for a market and hospital are useless because they did not consult people. As a result, they are inconvenient and people don’t use them. We should have been consulted.
We want to be in control of our own futures. Fortunately, through Fairtrade, we have a voice. In my community, we farmers chose Fairtrade certification because it values producers first, prioritising transparency and democracy. We benefit from the Fairtrade Standards, and the Fairtrade Premium – a sum of money on top of sales which we can invest in whatever we need most.
This was my message to an audience of business leaders, manufacturers and chocolatiers at The London Chocolate Forum on Friday 7 October. I was proud to have a voice at such an important industry event. My message to delegates is that if we want to continue consuming chocolate, we all need to have a common vision. Ask us what we need – we’ll talk to you and we’ll take a decision together.
As Chocolate Week gets underway in the UK, back at home my community is working hard harvesting cocoa, people are busy hacking cocoa pods down from trees, extracting the beans inside them and preparing for fermentation – a process lasting six days to get a good flavour from the cocoa.
It can be dangerous work – in the past we would get bad injuries from the sharp tools – but since receiving training from Fairtrade, we have been able to improve the way we produce cocoa, and thanks to Nestlé we have a safer tool for extracting the beans. Simple changes can make a big difference.
Fairtrade training has also focused on strengthening our organisation. Our processes are democratic, we assess everyone’s needs and all members of the co-operative have a vote on how to invest the Fairtrade Premium. We then have a board which oversees the fund and the development plan, which has improved our education and healthcare as well as our facilities.
Addressing the needs of women and children is vital
We are also focusing on addressing issues in the sector, such as gender equality. The proportion of women cocoa producers in Ivory Coast is higher than men and they work at every stage of production. Despite this, they do not own land, and as a result they don’t get a say and they have less control over money. This could affect the next generation, as women usually choose to make social investments, such as in their children’s education.
Schools also need to be closer to cocoa plantations. Who would allow their six-year-old to walk 10 kilometres to and from school, returning in the dark when there are wild animals in the bush? These conditions are not acceptable.
We have a saying: “The child who is not doing better than his own father is doomed.” My life is the same as my father’s, so of course I want more for my children. Most young people are scared of becoming cocoa farmers; instead they want to wear a suit and go to the city. If that happens, cocoa production will stop.
I don’t dismiss the efforts that have been made by big companies in our communities. We are happy that they are concerned about the problems affecting cocoa production. But with their narrow focus on productivity they forget about the human beings who produce cocoa. All I ask is that the voice of the producer is taken into account, in order to best serve our needs.
Thankfully, that’s what Fairtrade does. With them, we have the power to present ourselves. The Fairtrade Premium and the spending power it represents is helping us to ensure that we have a dignified life. It’s a model the whole industry could learn from.
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