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.
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.
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.
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.