The Cocoa Plan

Working with partners

The Cocoa Plan is the framework for several initiatives where we have been active for many years. Wherever possible we work with farmer organisations such as co-operatives, as we believe these are beneficial to farmers giving them the scale to market their cocoa collectively. We believe that to build on this framework, we use the expertise of or partner with other organisations.

These partners can be non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government organisations or private companies. We work with different groups depending on the local circumstances. We have partners in the areas of child labour sensitisation, water and sanitation, farmer training, trees and certification.

In addition, we are also involved with industry wide programmes through World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and Sustainable Tree Crops Programme (STCP).

There are various certification systems under way to recognise cocoa farmers who are operating in accordance with higher quality standards, and as a result, giving these farms and farmer organisations a form of official certification as well as better prices for their cocoa.

Certification is a good way to reward farmers and their organisations for producing cocoa in a sustainable manner. But it also gives consumers added assurance that the cocoa was produced under proper conditions.

However, certification needs resources. Moreover, to work effectively, farmers need to be organised into groups such as cooperatives who can then carry out much of the administration needed for certificate holders. In order to qualify, farmers also need to have been taught good farming practices. There is therefore still a long way to go before certification becomes widespread. That said, all the work of The Cocoa Plan extends far beyond those farms included in certification.