Procacao

Roughly 40 percent of the cocoa produced globally comes from the Ivory Coast. It is the largest cocoa producer in the world. One in four inhabitants of the country is either directly or indirectly dependent on the cultivation of the cocoa beans, a total of six million people subsist on cocoa. The largest portion of cocoa is grown on small family plantations. However, they can no longer yield the returns necessary to secure a living after years of using outdated agricultural methods to cultivate cocoa. That is why parts of rainforest were illegally cleared out in the past, and the habitat of many species was destroyed.

In order to preserve the land and rainforest in the long-term and to secure their income at the same time, the cocoa farmers will have to be educated in modern cultivation methods. Through further training, farmers can run their farms successfully in the future and contribute to meeting the global demand for cocoa in a sustainable manner.

With the help of PROCACAO, the cocoa farmers are familiarizing themselves with even more agricultural raw materials that they can efficiently cultivate on their plantations. This means that the farmers will not only be investing in the security of the own livelihoods, but the environment will also benefit through more biodiversity. With more sustainable agriculture small farmers will be more resistant in the face of climate change and price fluctuations. Additional positive effects: They will secure income and livelihood for generations yet to come. 

With project PROCACAO we are demonstrating that agriculture and environmental protection can go hand in hand, even with respect to cultivating raw materials like cocoa. Lidl is thereby making an important contribution to the advancement of sustainable cocoa production.