FERRERO PUBLISHES THIRD COCOA & FORESTS INITIATIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In partnership with the Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana governments, and leading cocoa and chocolate companies, Ferrero has published its third annual report showcasing the progress of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) – a comprehensive programme of projects delivered across both countries to help end deforestation and preserve valuable forests.
In the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, 2020-21 presented additional challenges for Ferrero cocoa farmers and suppliers. This unprecedented situation required increased efforts to address these challenges, but certain projects also surpassed goals, in some occasion doubling original targets set for 2022.
Download the Ferrero 2020-21 Cocoa Forests Initiative Progress Report
"As one of the founding members of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, Ferrero is committed to contributing to ending deforestation and forest degradation in the cocoa sector, while championing socially and environmentally sustainable practices in our cocoa supply chain." said Marco Gonçalves, Chief Procurement & Hazelnut Company Officer at Ferrero.
Fundamental to driving positive change is visibility of the supply chain. In 2020-21 Ferrero continued to achieve a high level of traceability from farm to first purchase point in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana for the cocoa volumes sourced and with 346,000 hectares covered with deforestation risk assessments, Ferrero doubled its initial target for 2022.
In 2020-21 important steps have also been made on forest restoration made possible through additional investments. Over 500,000 non-cocoa trees were distributed for off-farm planting, helping to restore 3,500 ha of forest area of which 200 ha in classified forests. When combined with multi-purpose trees for on-farm planting, in total Ferrero has distributed 2 million trees in 2020-21 alone and 3 million trees since the start of our CFI action plan in 2018.
"As we enter the fourth year of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative, we continue our journey and learn from best practices to further strengthen our programme." said Marco Gonçalves.
Additional achievements from 2020-21 include
- 69,000 cocoa farmers adopting agroforestry practices on their land, covering 111,000 ha.
- Over 10,000 farmers involved in Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) initiatives. The PES initiative provides farmers with valuable resources and incentives such as financial payments, trainings, fertilisers and tools in return for their work on environmental protection and restoration.
- Over 21,000 supported with Income Generating Activities, including: soap making, beekeeping and chicken farming.
- 890 active Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) groups, involving 27,000 members mainly women. VSLA groups are self-managed groups of community members who meet regularly to save their money in a safe space and have access to small loans.
- 397 communities involved in Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) covering over 55,000ha. The committees established in these communities work closely with the local authorities to identify areas for forest restoration and protection and receive support to implement activities to this end.
