ETHICS

Story 1

QUALITY THROUGH EQUALITY

We believe women are the kick-ass catalysts for positive change in our farming communities. Invest in a community’s women and you quickly see positive, long-term sustainable change.

We invest in farmer training programs that teach women everything from literacy and financial management to good agricultural practices so they can set new standards in how farms, small businesses and whole communities are run.

And the changes are there for everyone to see. In the villages where women are trained to run farms, we see higher yields, bigger profits and better produce.  

FACTS & STATS:

  • A mother’s education is strongly linked to her children’s health and education - UN sources, WCF
  • Women perform 66 % of the world’s work and produce 50% of the food but only manage 10% of the income and only own 1% of the property – UN sources, WCF
  • Wives of cocoa farmers are regularly involved in 12 of the 19 key stages of cocoa production – BMGF gender case study in CDI, WCF

COCOA HORIZONS ACTIVITIES:

  • Working to encourage and enable women’s active participation in farmer training activities and in farmer group administration and management.  
  • Supporting literacy and business skills training, and working with women and community-based women’s groups to create income generation opportunities.  

QUOTES & VOICES:

  • “I hope to set an example for other women in my village, so that they can see that there’s a way for them to have financial independence and to be strong and proud. When I train other women, and I see the effect it has on them and their confidence and independence, it fills me with pride. Every woman should have the opportunity to feel that way.” –  Yvonne, farmer/farmer trainer, Côte d’Ivoire 
     
Story 2

THE HUMAN INGREDIENT

If you like knowing where your food comes from, and even who grows it, then we have a lot in common.

We work with our partners to build long-term relationships with the farming communities on the ground so we can understand their lives as well as their jobs. And the better we understand each other’s lives, the easier it is to work productively together.

A strong working relationship takes time and effort, but it’s something that shouldn’t be compromised. Human connections might not be the most obvious ingredient in our chocolate – but it’s one of the most important

ON-THE-GROUND ANECDOTES:

  • Each community has its own village coordinator (VC) who educates and motivates his farmers, taking care of social occasions and creating happy healthy communities.  
  • VCs are elected by villagers. The VC is a trustworthy farmer who leads by example, supporting his farmers in times of need.  

COCOA HORIZONS ACTIVITIES:

  • Establishing on the ground relationships and training and accrediting farmer trainers to carry out Farmer Field Schools. Farmer trainers set an example and demonstrate new techniques to increase farm yield.
  • Implementing a fully integrated system to trace cocoa beans and collect farm and farmer data to help reporting, verification and planning.  
  • Working with tens of thousands of registered farmers  that commit to the production of sustainable cocoa by participating in training programs.