Climate Resilient Cocoa Landscapes 1.0

  • Country: Madagascar

  • Duration: 2020 – 2022

  • Implementing Partner: Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Madagascar

  • Other Partners: Lindt & Sprüngli, Valrhona, Millot, CDE University of Berne, Earthworm Foundation, SECO, SWISSCO

  • Financial Volume: CHF 60’000 (10% of overall project budget)

Short Introduction:

This project promotes sustainable cocoa production in Madagascar’s Sambirano valley through landscape governance and environmental service conservation.

Objectives

  • Develop a landscape management plan integrating conservation and cocoa production

  • Establish a multi-stakeholder governance body

  • Prevent cocoa expansion into ecologically sensitive areas

Results and Key Findings:

  • Identified priority zones for conservation and production

  • Implemented governance and planning instruments

  • Improved resilience and sustainability of cocoa landscapes

Publications

Kakum Sustainable Landscape Project 1.0

  • Country: Ghana

  • Duration: July 2020 – May 2024

  • Implementing Partner: Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC)

  • Other Partners: Olam, Private Sector Partners, LandScale

  • Financial Volume: EUR 319’360

Short Introduction:

This project supports the development of landscape governance structures in the Kakum HIA to promote climate-smart cocoa production, reduce deforestation, and improve farmer livelihoods.

Objectives

  • Develop a community-based landscape governance mechanism

  • Implement climate-smart cocoa agroforestry practices

  • Monitor sustainability through an M&E system aligned with LandScale

  • Improve farmer wellbeing through diversification and social services

Results and Key Findings:

  • Established a second Sub-HIA and CREMAs

  • Reached 3,000 farmers across 3,000-5,000 hectares

  • Strengthened governance, productivity, and climate resilience

Publications

Remote Estimation of Shade-Tree Cover and Carbon Stocks

  • Country: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire

  • Duration: October 2020 – September 2023

  • Implementing Partner: ETH Zurich, University of Queensland and University of Zurich

  • Other Partners: International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, KNUST and Joint Cocoa Research Fund of CAOBISCO and ECA

  • Financial Volume: CHF 330’220 (59% of total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This research project develops AI-based tools to remotely estimate shade-tree cover and carbon stocks in cocoa farms, enabling spatially explicit agroforestry recommendations.

Objectives

This project aimed to develop innovative methods for assessing the environmental benefits of cocoa agroforestry in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Specifically, it focused on:

  • Mapping shade-tree cover on cocoa farms using satellite imagery

  • Estimating above-ground carbon stocks and the carbon sequestration potential of cocoa agroforestry systems.

  • Generating spatial data products to inform on-the-ground farming decisions and support a transition toward more sustainable, climate-resilient cocoa production systems

Results and Key Findings:

  • Two machine learning models were developed using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and field data from 828 cocoa farms.

  • The models produced high-resolution maps showing: Shade-tree cover at 10-meter resolution & Above-ground carbon stocks at 50-meter resolution for the year 2022

  • Average shade-tree cover was only 13.2 percent, far below the 30 percent target promoted by many chocolate companies

  • Cocoa farms currently store 117.7 million tons of carbon

  • Increasing shade cover to 30 percent could unlock an additional 84 million tons of carbon storage – roughly equivalent to the carbon stored in the region’s remaining undisturbed forests

Publications

Adapting and Testing an Approach for Monitoring & Evaluating Climate Smart Cocoa CREMAs

  • Country: Ghana

  • Duration: July 2019 – June 2022

  • Implementing Partner: Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC)

  • Other Partners: Not specified

  • Financial Volume: EUR 148,500.00 (100% of total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This project develops and tests a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for climate-smart cocoa landscapes using the CREMA governance model in Ghana’s Kakum HIA.

Objectives

  • Adapt and test NCRC’s M&E approach for cocoa landscapes

  • Integrate socio-economic and ecological indicators

  • Align with the LandScale framework for sustainability assessment

Results and Key Findings:

  • Developed a community-based M&E system

  • Supported governance and climate-smart practices

  • Provided data for landscape-level sustainability verification

Publications

Inclusive Partnerships and Innovation Platforms for Sustainable Tree Crops

  • Country: Ghana & South Africa

  • Duration: February 2015 – February 2019

  • Implementing Partner: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

  • Other Partners: NWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development and several researchers from different local and international institutes

  • Financial Volume: EUR 100’000 (12.5% of the total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This research project combines value chain analysis and action research to enhance inclusive and sustainable tree crop farming, focusing on cocoa and oil palm.

Objectives

  • Facilitate learning platforms for inclusive value chain collaboration

  • Empower smallholders through knowledge and participation

  • Align innovations with farmers’ realities and livelihood trajectories

Results and Key Findings:

  • Established learning platforms and conducted baseline surveys

  • Developed methodologies for interactive learning

  • Improved understanding of intra-household dynamics and value chain governance

  • Contributed to more inclusive and effective sustainability strategies

Publications

Calculating a Living Income Benchmark for Cocoa Growing Regions

  • Country: Ghana

  • Duration: September 2017 – August 2018

  • Implementing Partner: Sustainable Food Lab

  • Other Partners: ISEAL Alliance, GIZ, Living Income Community of Practice, University of Ghana, KIT

  • Financial Volume: EUR 15’000 (19% of total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This project establishes a living income benchmark for cocoa-growing regions in Ghana, providing a foundation for assessing income gaps and guiding sustainability efforts.

Objectives

  • Determine the cost of a decent standard of living for cocoa farming families

  • Provide a credible benchmark for income gap analysis

  • Support evidence-based dialogue and program design

Results and Key Findings:

  • Developed a living income benchmark using the Anker methodology

  • Conducted fieldwork and validation workshops

  • Informed strategies to close the income gap and improve farmer livelihoods

Publications

ICI Child Labor Proxy Risk Indicator (Scoring System)

  • Country: Ghana

  • Duration: December 2016 – Early 2018

  • Implementing Partner: International Cocoa Initiative (ICI)

  • Other Partners: Not specified

  • Financial Volume: 100’000 CHF (27% of total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This research project aims to identify the factors that make children, households, and communities vulnerable to child labor in cocoa-growing areas. It develops a community-level scoring system to monitor and reduce child labour risks.

Objectives

  • Identify key risk factors for child labour

  • Develop a cost-effective community-level proxy risk indicator

  • Enable timely monitoring and better project planning

Results and Key Findings:

  • Developed a Child Labour Proxy Risk Indicator

  • Produced a final report and presentation

  • Enabled better targeting and evaluation of child protection efforts

Publications

Demystifying the Cocoa Sector – Understanding Cocoa Growing Households

  • Country: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire

  • Duration: November 2016 – September 2017

  • Implementing Partner: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

  • Other Partners: Südwind Institute, CIRAD, ALC, ALP, Jacobs Foundation, IDH, UTZ, GISCO

  • Financial Volume: EUR 50’000 (13% of total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This study investigates the socio-economic realities of cocoa-growing households to project future trends in cocoa farming and recommend interventions for sustainable livelihoods.

Objectives

  • Understand crop choices and income diversification

  • Analyze household differentiation and gender dynamics

  • Develop future scenarios for cocoa farming

Results and Key Findings:

  • Created a large dataset on cocoa households

  • Identified key factors influencing crop choice and investment

  • Produced a final report, policy brief, infographics, and held a dissemination workshop

Publications

Researching the Impact of Cocoa Productivity on Labor Market and Child Labor

  • Country: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire

  • Duration: May 2014 – April 2015

  • Implementing Partner: International Cocoa Initiative (ICI)

  • Other Partners: IDH, International Finance Corporation, Jacobs Foundation, World Cocoa Foundation

  • Financial Volume: CHF 61’250 (17.5% of the total project budget)

Short Introduction:

This research investigates how increased cocoa productivity affects labor dynamics, particularly child labor, in West Africa. It addresses the risks and opportunities associated with productivity gains in the cocoa sector.

Objectives

  • Identify agricultural projects increasing productivity and their labor implications

  • Understand supply/demand conditions for adult and child labor

  • Assess if increased income can meet labor demand

  • Recommend actions to mitigate child labor risks

Results and Key Findings:

  • Developed a labor market risk indicator

  • Produced a final report and policy brief

  • Provided insights into how productivity improvements can be aligned with child labor mitigation strategies

Publications