Critical actors within the alliance

Although the Ivorian cocoa farmers are probably the most important partners in the project, without the financial resources and support from key organisations, the project would not have become a reality. These public and private-sector partners are USAID, GTZ on behalf of BMZ, Kraft Foods and Armajaro.

Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT), one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, has been supporting sustainable agriculture projects for a number of years. Several of Kraft's commodities, including coffee and cocoa, are primarily sourced from developing countries that face unique challenges, among them environmental and social concerns. Working with various third parties, suppliers, interest groups and governments is just one of the ways Kraft is promoting responsible practices within the agricultural supply base.

Armajaro is recognised as one of the world's leading suppliers of cocoa and coffee, with origination and exporting operations in all the major cocoa and coffee producing regions. Armajaro's customers include most of the major global chocolate manufacturers. Through its stake in a European cocoa processing joint venture, Armajaro also produces and distributes semi-finished cocoa products to the confectionery industry. Armajaro's cocoa and coffee divisions are headquartered in London, with wholly-owned procurement operations in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and Viet Nam.

The federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (gtz) GmbH – an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations - supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. Its corporate objective is to improve people's living conditions on a sustainable basis. In the PPDC project, GTZ works on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which is also GTZ's major client. GTZ has been supporting small-scale cocoa farmers in Eastern Côte d'Ivoire to improve their production systems for many years. The GTZ project to combat abusive forms of child labour and child trafficking offers additional linkages for project integration.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. In Africa, USAID currently provides assistance to 47 countries, has 23 bilateral missions, and three regional missions that support activities in countries with a limited USAID presence. U.S. foreign assistance to Africa is directed to helping African governments, institutions, and African-based organizations incorporate good governance principles and innovative approaches to health, education, economic growth, agriculture, and environment programs. In the PPDC, USAID is represented by the USAID West Africa Mission based in Accra, Ghana.

PPDC'S implementing partners

The Ivorian National Agency for Rural Development (ANADER) and the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) organisations are the main executing agencies of the project.

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour.
More about the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard at Standards.