Sustainable Biz Magazine - Magazine - Page 16
Nestlé boosts reforestation
project in Ivory Coast
A
t a time when risks of deforestation
remain a major challenge in
countries producing agricultural
raw materials, a multi-sectoral collaboration
led by Nestle is committed to contributing
towards the protection and restoration of
the classified Cavally Forest, in partnership
with local organisations and communities.
The collaboration includes the Swiss
Federal Administration (SECO), the Ivorian
Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF),
Nestlé, Touton and Cocoasource as well as
Earthworm Foundation (EF).
This new collaboration follows in the
footsteps of the initial, three-year project
funded by Nestlé, which will run until the
end of June 2023. The preliminary results are
very encouraging. During its first phase, the
Cavally project led to a significant reduction
in deforestation, the natural regeneration
of 7 000 hectares, and the reforestation
of almost 1 500 hectares. In addition,
greater economic and social resilience has
been observed within local communities,
with more than 1 400 people benefiting
financially from the project.
Beginning on July 1, 2023, the new threeyear phase of the project will have more
ambitious goals and a wider group of
partners.
With a total investment of CHF 4 million,
equivalent to XOF 2.7 billion, this new
partnership goes beyond preserving the
classified Cavally Forest. It also aims to
strengthen the resilience of the communities
in the forest's peripheral zone and improve
the transparency and traceability of the
cocoa and rubber supply chain
The Cavally project has four
main objectives:
1
.To prevent deforestation and improve
the ecosystem by stimulating natural
regeneration and rehabilitating
degraded areas in close collaboration with
local communities.
2
.To improve the resilience of smallscale producers by helping them
increase their productivity, achieve
greater income diversification and gain
easier access to financing.
3
.To help protect the rights of the
children of these producers by raising
awareness and providing easier access
to school, in particular by acquiring birth
certificates.
4
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S USTAI N AB L E B I Z MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2023
.To establish a more transparent
supply chain for cocoa and rubber, in
particular by improving traceability
and exploring innovative solutions
(including satellite monitoring) to increase
the transparency of prices and payments to
producers.