Uncovering cocoa farming’s biggest challenges – and what’s being done to tackle them

One of the world’s biggest chocolate producers is working to address the root causes of farmer poverty, child labour risks and the impact of climate breakdown on cocoa farming communities

Unlike other crops grown for global consumption, cocoa production doesn’t take place on large-scale plantations. Instead, 95% of the world’s cocoa comes from smallholder farms just two to five hectares in size, with 70% produced across western Africa in countries including Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

“Cocoa is traditionally a low-yield crop,” says Darrell High, head of Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan – an initiative committed to a more sustainable approach to cocoa farming. “Each farm produces, on average, about 400kg of cocoa per hectare. It means most farmers are generating just over a tonne of cocoa each year, which, unfortunately, doesn’t bring in a lot of income.”