Hearing the heart of the Ivorian cocoa value chain: Voices from the ground
The room was already buzzing before the discussions began. Farmers greeted cooperative leaders with familiar handshakes. Exporters set down their notebooks. Representatives from public institutions, civil society groups and development agencies settled into small clusters around square tables. Everyone knew why they were there: to rethink the cocoa value chain in Côte d'Ivoire together, not in theory, but in a way rooted in lived experience.
- food systems
- Climate-Change
Hearing the heart of the Ivorian cocoa value chain: Voices from the ground
The room was already buzzing before the discussions began. Farmers greeted cooperative leaders with familiar handshakes. Exporters set down their notebooks. Representatives from public institutions, civil society groups and development agencies settled into small clusters around square tables. Everyone knew why they were there: to rethink the cocoa value chain in Côte d'Ivoire together, not in theory, but in a way rooted in lived experience.
This spirit of collaboration defined the workshop among stakeholders of the Ivorian cocoa value chain. Held in Abidjan and organized by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the dialogue engaged actors from across the cocoa value chain and included the participation of key development partners such as AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation), Save the Children, Solidaridad, and Rainforest Alliance. Over two days, stakeholders worked side by side to validate research, surface challenges, and co-design pathways toward a more deforestation- free, climate-resilient, and inclusive cocoa sector.