Rainforest Alliance unveils 2030 strategy on cocoa production, targets 100m farmers

Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit international organization, has unveiled its strategic plan towards advancing its work in promoting sustainable cocoa production, targeting about 100 million farmers and workers globally by 2030.

Nadege Nzoyem, Senior Director, West and Central Africa, Rainforest Alliance, who spoke during the organization’s second stakeholders workshop, themed “Advancing Sustainable Cocoa Production in Nigeria, The Rainforest Alliance’s Strategy”, which was held in Akure, said the organization was focusing on forest and biodiversity conservation and creating a resilient agricultural system.

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“Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working to create a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.

“The international organization whose vision is to create a world where people and nature thrive in harmony unveils strategies to advance its work in promoting sustainable cocoa production in Nigeria.”

She, therefore, expressed delight that more than 50% of cocoa harvest in Nigeria had complied with the Rainforest Alliance sustainable agriculture standard.

Kazeem Sanni, the Certification Partner Support Manager at Rainforest Alliance in Nigeria, who also spoke at the event, said the purpose of the workshop was to introduce to the Nigerian cocoa stakeholders the organization’s 2030 strategy meant to accelerate the speed and scale of impacts through a virtuous cycle with producers at the heart.

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He mentioned that the organization also aimed at exploring opportunities for more collaborations in building a sustainable and deforestation-free cocoa supply chain in Nigeria.

While Nicholas Jengre, the Rainforest Alliance’s Country Director for Ghana and Nigeria, indicated that farmers and companies who are certified with the Rainforest Alliance standard are a step ahead towards complying with the European Union Deforestation Regulation which comes to effect in December 31, 2024.

During a panel discussion on the way forward in the EUDR compliance, a cocoa technical expert, Ayo Akinola, emphasized the need to work together as a nation to develop a national strategy on EUDR compliance.

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BusinessDay reports that the key industry players present at the workshop include local and international cocoa companies, Government ministries and agencies, relevant development partners, NGOs, research institutes and cocoa associations.