Cocoa farmers in poverty trap

The discussion around the potential of supporting West cocoa  African cocoa farmers out of poverty has been ongoing for years. Companies have typically focused on the argument that farmers have to do more and do things better. They claim that farmers should apply good agricultural practices in order to improve produc tivity, diversify their farms, plant trees (“agroforestry”), increase their farm size, et cetera. If this is still not sufficient, farmers, especially women, should become members of saving unions and use the money to invest. Meanwhile, the situation on th e ground has not changed much. Many farmers remain poor, their children are often forced to work, and many families struggle to afford three sufficient meals per day.

Year of publication: 2022
Article number: 2022-21
Number of pages: 16 

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