Bridging the gap for cocoa farmers: The Living Income Fund
Approximately 87 per cent of cocoa growing households earn less than a living income in the Ivory Coast, a country producing much of the world’s cocoa. Building better livelihoods for farmers is critical to create a world where people and nature thrive together.
Innovative collaboration
During 2021-2023 Cloetta participated in a two-year project driven by the Rainforest Alliance, to test a tool that helps companies pay the living income gap directly to cocoa farmers. During 2023-2024 Cloetta supported the continuation of the project Living Income Fund.
Direct payments to farmers
In the project, we were using direct mobile payments to ensure the payment is going straight to the farmer. This is one way we hope to create thriving rural communities for the farmers, helping to alleviate poverty and thus reduce the occurrence of child labour as well as improved environmental agricultural methods.
Increasing transparency & value
The Rainforest Alliance’s Living Income Module Project addressed two problems: the low income of farmers and the value distribution in the cocoa supply chain. Through this project we’ll test new solutions to these challenges. First, by providing a direct transfer option to adjust the cocoa farmers’ income. Second, by enabling companies to trace their progress in eradicating the living income gap. Read more about the project at www.rainforest-alliance.org.