Restoring forests and empowering communities in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa industry
At a time when risks of deforestation remain a major challenge in countries producing agricultural raw materials, a multi-sectoral collaboration is committed to contributing towards the protection and restoration of the classified Cavally Forest, in partnership with local organizations and communities. The collaboration includes the Swiss Federal Administration (SECO), the Ivorian Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF), Nestlé, Touton and Cocoasource as well as Earthworm Foundation (EF).
This new collaboration follows in the footsteps of the initial, three-year project funded by Nestlé, which will run until the end of June 2023. The preliminary results are very encouraging. During its first phase, the Cavally project led to a significant reduction in deforestation, the natural regeneration of 7 000 hectares, and the reforestation of almost 1 500 hectares. In addition, greater economic and social resilience has been observed within local communities, with more than 1 400 people benefiting financially from the project.
Beginning on July 1, 2023, the new three-year phase of the project will have more ambitious goals and a wider group of partners.
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