From 2018 to 2022, SWISSCO members have engaged in public-private partnerships, co-financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to pilot innovative approaches in the cocoa value chain. With a total investment of CHF 26 million, 15 innovative value chain projects in eight countries have generated insights into approaches to tackle the various socio-economic and environmental sustainability challenges in the cocoa sector and beyond.
The now published report "Unlocking Innovation: Results and learnings from 15 value chain projects" provides an overview of these projects, summarising achievements through data analysis and stakeholder consultations. It offers key facts and figures, recommendations, and insights from project partners for scaling efforts and policy development.
The report showcases the transformative power of innovation in the Swiss cocoa value chain, inspiring continuous improvement and sustainability. Harnessing knowledge from these projects, we aim for a brighter, more ethical, and prosperous future for the Swiss cocoa value chain, contributing to a broader dialogue on sustainable value chains worldwide
Results of the projects
SWISSCO members and partners reached a total of 86‘472 farm households during this project cycle. The female-headed farm households comprised 21‘539 (approximately 25 %) of the total households reached, underlining a significant demographic factor in this endeavour.
Mapping efforts were extensive, encompassing 92‘261 polygons and 95‘272 GPS-marked farms. Capacity-building initiatives were notably successful, with a substantial 47‘434 participants in income diversification training (39 % female participants) and 66‘333 participants in climate-smart agriculture training (24 % female participants). Additionally, the promotion of sustainable farming practices like agroforestry demonstrated encouraging outcomes, with 23‘835 hectares dedicated to new agroforestry systems, constituting 13 % of the total cocoa cultivation area.
The way forward
The key learnings of this project phase will shape the future activities of SWISSCO members, amongst others when taking on the scaling of promising innovative approaches. A prerequisite for the successful scaling of projects is land tenure security and resource availability of farmers.
Tailored interventions aligned with local needs and engagement of beneficiaries in their design enhance local ownership and thus increase the effectiveness and long-term impact of capacity-building. Leveraging local structures like Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and innovative financing mechanisms plays a vital role in scaling efforts. Collaborations with national governments, digitalisation for efficient service extension, robust monitoring, and navigating governance challenges are crucial strategies to drive sustainability and address complex cocoa sector challenges.
SWISSCO members are encouraged to strengthen cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration, particularly when active in the same geographical areas, thus moving from siloed to holistic approaches for sustainability in the cocoa value chain and beyond.
Consequently, a new SECO co-financing facility from 2023 to 2026 will provide SWISSCO members with the possibility to apply these learnings, aiming to leverage the resources of all supply chain partners and other sectors to effectively contribute to the SWISSCO Roadmap 2030 goals.
Download the full report:
Unlocking Innovation: Results and learnings from 15 value chain projects
SWISSCO members and partners reached a total of 86‘472 farm households during this project cycle. The female-headed farm households comprised 21‘539 (approximately 25 %) of the total households reached. Photo: HALBA/Sankofa Project