Mondelez International released the first progress report for its Cocoa Life sustainability program, which reveals things are looking good for the cocoa industry. The report highlights the impact and efforts to date across its six cocoa-growing countries: Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, India and Brazil.
Initiated in 2012, Cocoa Life is a long-term, $400 million investment to empower 200,000 cocoa farmers and is projected to reach over 1 million community members by 2022. Through the end of 2015, Cocoa Life reached 76,700 farmers in over 795 communities. The company reports 21 percent of its cocoa is now sustainably sourced.
The report provides measurement data from Cocoa Life’s first impact evaluation in Ghana, where Cocoa Life began as the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. Initial results show Cocoa Life farmers’ incomes tripled since 2009, which is 49 percent more than the measured control communities. Likewise, cocoa yield increased 37 percent more than the control communities.
“This progress report brings together the voices of people in cocoa communities across all our origins and demonstrates how the program is working together with local governments, our suppliers and partners to build lasting change on the ground,” says Cathy Pieters, Cocoa Life program director. “Cocoa Life integrates the work of our stakeholders to achieve common goals in ways that are relevant and tailored to Cocoa Life farming communities around the world.”
Cocoa Life is a part of Mondelēz International’s Call For Well-being, a call to action focused on four areas: sustainability, well-being, communities and safety.
The full report can be read here.
