cocoa farming

Guest blog: There can be no climate justice without social justice

Deforestation is clearly high on the agenda for the cocoa and confectionery sector, as it seeks to hone in on key sustainability goals. Jon Walker, senior advisor for Cocoa at Fairtrade International, offers his view on major developments.

Chocolate

Urgent confectionery sector action on stemming deforestation needed

The last few years within the confectionery industry have seen an increasing spotlight being placed on the sustainability of the cocoa sector, with farming communities at the heart of the supply chain in West Africa facing considerable challenges.

Chocolate

The shocking tide of global child labour poses major societal and industry challenges

The latest figures from Unicef and the International Labour Organisation that reveal child labour has risen by over 8 million in four years, to a huge total of 160 million, are exceptionally shocking.

Business, Chocolate

Sustainability remains top of the industry’s agenda

Two of the standout developments for the confectionery sector in recent days have concerned very differing areas of sustainability – Tony’s Chocolonely delivering its series of ‘look-alike’ chocolate bars, and Nestle’s global first in moving from plastic to paper packaging.

Business

Major $10 billion income gap for Ghana and Ivory Coast farmers remains a critical sector goal

Delivering on cocoa supply chain sustainability remains the most single pressing task for major players within the confectionery industry, with an especially notable milestone having just been put down.

Bakery, Chocolate

Dawn of the Living Income Differential’s potential major impact on West African cocoa farming

This past week has seen the key start of the latest cocoa season within West Africa, which sees the introduction of the Living Income Differential put forward by the governments of the Ivory Coast and Ghana to support farmers wages. In a guest blog, Kojo Hayford, managing editor of Ghana’s Cocoa Post, reflects on its potential impact.

Chocolate

Time is not on our side for delivering tangible change for cocoa sustainability in Ghana and Ivory Coast

Building on last week’s news of events within the cocoa sector, sustainability is once again making major headlines with regard to a landmark new declaration relating to key markets in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Chocolate

Digital payments for Ghana’s cocoa growing communities could prove vital to the sector

A report authored by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance has highlighted a core issue of only 10% of payments being made digitally for farmers in Ghana’s cocoa sector – despite the fact that 90% of farmers now own mobile phones, according to latest research.

Business, Chocolate

Greater progress required on key schemes to lift African cocoa farmers from below poverty line

Edward Akapire, head of region, Fairtrade Africa West Africa Network, reflects his observations on the key improvements that need to be made within the cocoa sector that will deliver on the progress being made by farming reforms in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Coronavirus pandemic may increase child labour, but a path to child-labour free cocoa exists

Child labour within the cocoa sector remains a key matter for the confectionery sector, with around 2 million children in Ghana and Ivory Coast alone said to be in some form of labour, despite the sector’s efforts to respond on the issue. In this guest blog Kunera Moore, Lead – tackling child labour at the Rainforest Alliance, offers some hope on this major issue.

Chocolate

Fairtrade report highlights urgent need for joint industry action on sustainability schemes

The latest set of studies from Fairtrade released this week into sustainability initiatives in core cocoa growing locations, including Ghana and Ivory Coast, have produced some extremely notable findings.

Chocolate