A new study on Fairtrade International’s West Africa Cocoa Programme found it helps co-ops navigate regulatory changes, economic fluctuations, climate change, and other pressures.
Launched in 2016 by producer network Fairtrade Africa, the programme has grown to include 270 co-ops and 51,000 farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. Through the programme, they access training, in-person and remote support, and ad-hoc guidance.
According to evaluation commissioned by Fairtrade, the programme enabled co-ops to achieve stronger management systems, better financial management and greater awareness of regulatory frameworks. It also helped them to increase their ability to monitor and manage human rights risks such as child labour.
Co-ops also told the survey they had taken action to improve crop productivity and quality, strengthen governance and membership participation by youth and women, and promote environmental protection.
The programme also helps co-ops to act on challenges such as climate change, plant disease, price fluctuation, illegal mining, gender dynamics, and an evolving regulatory landscape, the study found.
Meanwhile, 72% of Ivorian and 92% of Ghanaian farmers answering the survey said they had been involved in decision making around the use of the Fairtrade Premium.
“During the almost 10 years of continuous partnership work with co-operatives and farmers in West Africa, Fairtrade Africa has built expertise combined with institutional strength and depth”, said Fairtrade Africa’s head for the West Africa region, Edward Akapire. “The West Africa Cocoa Programme has led to stronger and more viable co-operatives and acted as a springboard for an increasing complementary commercial partner and donor investment in Fairtrade co-operatives and farmers.”
Although the programme has helped co-ops build capacity, expanding market access is still a challenge, the survey found. Co-ops said the programme had helped with facilitating buyer linkages, preparation of reports, and supporting their attendance at trade shows and other commercial engagements. But, they asked for better understanding of market dynamics and how to engage buyers, including training on marketing, outreach, negotiation skills and business planning.
In terms of how the programme could be improved, the evaluation suggested a “training of trainers” model of information sharing and clarification of the programme’s core functions, target groups, and intervention logic. It also suggests the programme explores innovative support models, such as partnerships and the co-financing of some services by more experienced co-operatives.
