Sustainable Cocoa Initiative

FAO and the European Union are working to support cocoa-producing countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon) to improve the long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability of cocoa value chains.

What’s at stake

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are the world’s largest exporters of cocoa. Together with Cameroon, their combined exports account for nearly two-thirds of global exports, with the European Union among the top consumers.

Millions of small-scale farmers in the three countries rely on cocoa for their livelihoods. Yet many still live below the poverty line.

The Global Sustainable Cocoa Initiative began in response to the 2019 decision by Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to introduce a living income differential for cocoa farmers. It is in line with new European Union legislation to ensure only socially and environmentally sustainable goods enter the European Union market. The initiative addresses challenges such as low farmer incomes, deforestation and child labour.

At a glance

At global level, FAO has leveraged its technical expertise to provide strategic policy support to cocoa talks in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Through the initiative, FAO has undertaken various studies on the cocoa-chocolate value chain, including analysis of costs and margins of chocolate value chains in France and Germany.
At regional level, FAO is providing long-term technical assistance to the Secretariat of the Côte d’Ivoire–Ghana Cocoa Initiative on implementation of the living income differential policy in the two countries.
FAO is also supporting countries at national level:
- In Cameroon, national cocoa talks have examined issues related to price and market dynamics, transparency, traceability and sustainable production systems.
- In Côte d’Ivoire, FAO has provided technical support to strengthen the national forest monitoring and deforestation early warning system, and map land cover and land use.
- In Ghana, FAO is assisting the Ghana Cocoa Board in rolling out a national traceability system (the Cocoa Management System) to trace cocoa from farm to point of shipment. It is also helping implement a multistakeholder platform (the Ghana Cocoa Monitor) to coordinate and track cocoa sector programmes in the country.

Related links

Latest stories

A look at financing opportunities for primary cocoa processing in Côte d’Ivoire

11/12/2025

The European Union, Côte d'Ivoire's leading trading partner, asked the FAO Investment Centre for assistance in estimating the country’s current and potential primary cocoa processing capacity, identifying investment and financing needs, and recommending practical measures to strengthen access to finance in the sector.

Cocoa mapping in Cameroon: EU Sustainable Cocoa Programme advances sustainable production and forest protection

26/11/2025

The Government of Cameroon with the support of the FAO Investment Centre, in collaboration with the European Union and the European Forest Institute and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, is organizing a workshop on 25 November 2025 in Yaoundé to present the progress results of the national land cover mapping with the participation of around 50 representatives from government entities, development partners, civil society and research institutions.

Cameroon validates support plan for cooperatives to facilitate cocoa sales in the European Union

01/10/2025

Producer organizations play a central role in structuring and sustainably developing the cocoa sector. As grassroots actors, they represent producers, handle product collection, facilitate access to quality inputs and financing, and contribute to strengthening cooperative members’ capacities. However, they face several challenges: low organizational capacity, limited access to financing, lack of infrastructure, and difficulties in complying with national and international standards—particularly the new European regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR).

FAO Supports the government of Cameroon in using AI and satellite imagery to produce cocoa map under the sustainable cocoa programme

22/07/2025

As the world’s fifth-largest cocoa producer, Cameroon is reinforcing its strategic position by launching an ambitious national mapping of its cocoa plantations. This initiative is part of the EU Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP), funded by the European Union and implemented by technical partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Launch of the Ghana Cocoa Monitor (GCM): Guiding policies and interventions for sustainable cocoa production

15/07/2025

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), working in collaboration with private sector actors, civil society and with financial support from the European Union and both technical and financial support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Investment Centre under the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative and Programme, has agreed to establish the Ghana Cocoa Monitor (GCM).

Beyond the canopy: Mapping cocoa fields in Cameroon’s agroforestry systems for a deforestation-free cocoa

19/05/2025

Cameroon’s cocoa thrives in rich agroforestry systems, where cocoa trees coexist with towering forests, fruit trees like mango and avocado, and non-timber species such as bush mango and jansang. This sustainable approach preserves biodiversity and boosts ecosystem services. However, for Camero...

Cocoa & Coffee festival: Cameroonian farmers better prepared to adapt to new EU regulation on deforestation

16/04/2025

Partners of the European Union (EU) Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP) seized the opportunity of the Cocoa & Coffee festival organized in Yaoundé from 10 to 12 April to raise awareness among Cameroonian cocoa and coffee farmers on how to comply with the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

The Sustainable Cocoa Programme: Improving the livelihoods of millions of cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire

15/04/2025

On March 18, 2025, key stakeholders gathered in Abidjan for a workshop organized by the FAO Investment Centre and the European Union (EU) to assess the progress of the Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP) in Côte d'Ivoire. The event brought together Ivorian authorities and implementing partners, including the FAO Investment Centre, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The Cameroonian model in agroforestry for sustainable cocoa production

04/11/2024

From 13 to 22 October 2024, a delegation of experts, institutions and practitioners involved in promoting agroforestry in the cocoa sector in Côte d’Ivoire participated in a study tour in Cameroon. The Ivorian delegation met with producers, process...

Navigating Sustainability: Cameroon's Cocoa Agroforestry in the Face of EU Regulations

10/05/2024

Cameroon, the third largest cocoa producing country in Africa and the fifth in the world, has a long tradition of growing cocoa in complex agroforestry systems, in which cocoa plants grow in the shade of other trees to provide the needed balance of light and humidity.

Latest publications

Brochure

The European Union's Sustainable Cocoa Initiative and Programme

10/2025

The European Union’s Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, implemented by FAO Investment Centre together with partners (JRC, EFI, GIZ), helps governments to...

Comparative study on the distribution of value in European chocolate chains - Executive summary

05/2024

The low level of income of most small cocoa farmers, especially in Western Africa, has been a growing issue in the cocoa sector for the past three decades,...