PPDC coverage area, structure, and implementation

This project was implemented in the two regions of Daloa/Issia and Abengourou located in Côte d'Ivoire's 'cocoa belt' (Figure 1). The total number of certified farms in the six cooperatives were approximately 1,900.

Two extension approaches were used in the project. The STCP/IITA and ANADER, the national extension agency in Côte d'Ivoire, applied the Farmer Field Schools approach in the Dalao/Issia region. ANADER and GTZ used the Prostab (Projet de stabilisation des systèmes de production agricole) methodology in the Abengourou region. The implementing partners constituted the Project Coordination Committee (PCC) that met bi-monthly to discuss past and future work plans.

The Rainforest Alliance carried out the certification process, including training of the farmers to be certified at the six cooperatives. Armajaro bought the cocoa from the cooperatives on behalf of Kraft Foods.
E.D.E. Consulting GmbH was responsible for the overall management of the project on behalf of the alliance partners until July 2008. Then, the management was taken over by the project partners.

Four key components for achieving project objectives

1)  Strengthening extension service delivery
Effective extension is a critical component of a project's success. In this alliance, two extension methods were promoted and adopted, both designed to improve productivity, cocoa quality and farmers' incomes using sustainable production practices.

2)  Improving cooperatives' institutional and management capacity
Enhancing the institutional capacity of the farmer cooperatives was key not only to certification by the Rainforest Alliance but also to an improved market access in general. Internal control systems, governance and democratic structures combined with management and business skills were essential to achieve long-term sustainability.

3)  Developing local certification capacity
Before the project, Rainforest Alliance certification was mainly performed by international professionals from Latin America. In order to reduce costs and build local capacity, the Rainforest Alliance was training Ivorians so that by the end of the project, they were able to carry out this certification function.

4)  Disseminating best practices
The project partners are taking advantage of different forms of communication to share and promote the various best practices adopted in the PPDC. The objective is to encourage wider use of these environmentally and socially friendly practices in the other cocoa growing regions, first in Côte d'Ivoire and then throughout West Africa. This in turn increases the number of potential buyers who will be aware of the sustainable cocoa produced in the pilot regions.