SSNUP project completion: certified, traceable cocoa and cashew nuts in West Africa

A recently concluded SSNUP-sponsored project helped three cooperatives in Ghana, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire to renew and obtain sustainability certifications, implement a new digital management system and perform polygon mapping of the farmers’ plots.

In total, 1,900 farmers were supported in implementing good agricultural practices to obtain Rainforest Alliance or organic certifications. Their cooperatives received EUR 171,000 in premiums on the certified produce which were used for community projects, investments to meet the certifications’ requirements and to distribute cash to farmers.

In addition, the farmers’ plots were mapped, and the cooperatives were trained in polygon mapping, data analysis and management to ensure the traceability of exports in accordance with the new EU regulation on deforestation-free products. This approach could serve as a blueprint for supporting other agricultural value chain actors facing similar challenges in meeting the mapping requirements of the new regulation.

The supported cooperatives are suppliers of Cocoasource, a Swiss commodity trading company supported by Incofin, a SSNUP impact investor. Cocoasource sources from 26 producer organisations working with approximately 31,000 smallholder farmers, of which nearly 26,000 are sustainably certified. 

In addition to supporting the cooperatives, the project enhanced the business management capabilities of the Cocoasource subsidiary in Côte d’Ivoire to effectively link local producers with global buyers and support sustainability initiatives in the region.