Cocoa was introduced to West Africa through trade with Brazil in the early 19th century, and today the region produces 70% of cocoa globally. West African cocoa is critical to the cocoa industry, to several national economies, and to the lives of millions of cocoa-farming families. For example, the Ivorian cocoa trade accounts for 40% of cocoa globally, 15% of Ivorian GDP, and employs 35% of households.

West African farm yields are lower than other regions and supply has relied on new land. As land availability is limited, cocoa must be farmed from less land through more productive and professional farming methods. Soil has been exhausted of nutrients, and the cacao trees produce low yields with minimal resistance to pests and disease. Effective distribution of fertilizer and planting material, facilitated by credit services, as well as farmer training and reform of land ownership rights, is therefore essential.

Cocoa farming has the potential to alleviate poverty and stimulate development, which in turn will benefit the cocoa sector. To achieve this, farming communities require the skills and resources to invest in their farms, community life needs to be sustainable and meet basic human rights, and cocoa must support a quality of life that attracts the farmers of tomorrow. Improvements in education, nutrition, working conditions, health services, water supply and infrastructure are crucial. Furthermore, it is vital that environmental resources, including biodiversity, soil fertility, and forest cover are conserved.

Key facts

• The Mars Partnership for African Cocoa Communities of Tomorrow (iMPACT) is a unique partnership of development organizations collaborating with producer country governments. iMPACT is designed to ensure that more productive and profitable cocoa farms can support thriving communities through community-led social, economic and environmental development.
• In the 1990s Mars became aware of various challenges facing small farmers in West Africa and the threats to their sustainability.  Since 1999, Mars has collaborated with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other industry members to support the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP).
• The STCP brings together agricultural experts to develop a viable future for sustainable cocoa production. A major element of this is the Farmer Field School program, in which a curriculum is taught to farmers in the field to improve cultivation techniques. Many participants have increased yields and their income by 20–50%.