Sustainable Biz Magazine - Magazine - Page 17
“During the first phase of the Cavally
Forest regeneration project, we learned
that there are various sides to the problem
of deforestation in the area," said Bastien
Sachet, CEO of Earthworm Foundation, the
organisation leading the implementation
of the project. “It is difficult to control
such a large area. And the forest is
attractive in terms of fertility and access
to land for populations that are facing
immense economic challenges. To combat
deforestation and tackle the root causes of
the problem, a collective approach based
on creating value for producers and rural
communities is required. This is why the
presence of economic players in the rubber
and cocoa value chains, coupled with a
strong partnership with the government, is
essential. It is the spirit of this collaboration
that we are proud to be a part of."
To maximise the project's impact, this new
phase now includes trading companies
Touton and Cocoasource as well as Nestlé.
They are active in the peripheral regions
of the forest and already work with local
cooperatives.
“The Cavally project is a
very important initiative for
us, as it allows our company
to act directly within
our supply chain. We are
protecting a forest adjacent
to the areas where we source
cocoa and creating value for
the farmers we work with,"
explained Corinne Gabler, Head of
Confectionery & Ice Cream at Nestlé. “We're
delighted to have been able to contribute
towards the success of this first phase and
look forward to working with new partners
to further intensify the project's impact."
Combating cocoa-related deforestation is
also a priority for Switzerland, which has
pledged to increase its investments in the
primary sourcing regions.
“Switzerland is an important country for
the trading and processing of agricultural
products, including cocoa,” commented
Monica Rubiolo, Head of Trade Promotion
at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic
Affairs (SECO). "That’s why our government
is actively involved in the Swiss Platform for
Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO). Through
our financial support for specific projects,
we aim to actively contribute towards the
creation of more sustainable supply chains,
in close collaboration with the private
sector, civil society and governments in the
producer countries."
In 2018, the government of Côte d'Ivoire
adopted a national forest preservation,
rehabilitation and expansion policy, which
aims to enable the country to recover 20% of
its forest cover by 2030.
On the ground, this policy is bearing fruit
thanks to a strategy of protecting and
restoring the forest in this cocoa landscape
as well as the successful social inclusion of
rural communities, including women and
young people.
The classified Cavally Forest is one of the last
remaining dense forests in Côte d'Ivoire and
is a primary biodiversity spot threatened by
deforestation.
Côte d'Ivoire has lost most of its forest cover
over the last 60 years. Between 1960 and
2021, the area of its forests shrunk from
16 million to 2.97 million hectares. This
loss was caused in particular by small-scale
farming.
Other local organisations involved in
the project include cocoa and rubber
cooperatives: the Wild Chimpanzee
Foundation (WCF), the Société de
Transformation du Bois du Cavally (STBC),
the International Centre for Research in
Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the International
Cocoa Initiative (ICI). The long-term vision
of this project is to work closely with a
number of partners, particularly companies
in the rubber industry, in order to develop
systemic solutions in supply chains and pave
the way for the creation of sustainable, forest
positive areas.
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