Our members' project

in Côte d'Ivoire

Pro-Planteurs is a joint project of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Ivorian Coffee-Cocoa Council (Conseil du Café-Cacao). The German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) is an association of the German confectionery industry, the German food retail trade and civil society organisations as well as the German government, represented by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Pro-Planteurs contributes to the implementation of the national cocoa strategy of Côte d'Ivoire, 2QC (Quantité - Qualité - Croissance), and the CocoaAction strategy of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF).

In the project period 2015 to 2025, Pro-Planteurs improved the livelihood of 30,000 family farmers and professionalised their cocoa farmer organisations in Côte d'Ivoire. The project also provided opportunities for women, in particular, to achieve a better income and a better food basis for their families in order to have a positive impact on their living conditions. After a successful first and second phase, a three-year follow-up phase began in June 2025. The third phase from 2025 - 2028 seeks to achieve a living income for at least 50% of the participating cocoa farming households settled around the nature reservat Bossematié in the east of Côte d'Ivoire. The project progress of Pro-Planteurs is regularly monitored and adjusted if necessary.

Professionalising cocoa producers and their organisations for more sustainable cocoa production

The Ivorian cocoa value chain faces several challenges:

increasing pressure on forests,
growing regulatory requirements,
low incomes among cocoa producers, and
persistent social risks.

Against this background, the third phase of the Pro-Planteurs project takes a landscape approach that combines economic performance, social inclusion and ecosystem protection. The focus is on the regions surrounding the Bossematié Nature Reserve.

By May 2030, the project aims to support 8,000 cocoa producers and 12 cooperatives in the project regions of Indénié-Djuablin, La Mé and Sud-Comoé in better adapting their cocoa supply chains to economic, regulatory, environmental and social challenges.

The third phase of the Pro-Planteurs project not only builds on the achievements of the first two phases, but also addresses new challenges emerging in the cocoa sector.

The key areas of focus of Pro-Planteurs 3 are:

Good agricultural practices in line with the African Regional Standard ARS-1000
Demand-oriented services provided by cooperatives to their members
Sustainable supply chains
Multi-stakeholder dialogue and joint learning

By working simultaneously at the level of cocoa farms, cooperatives and actors across the entire supply chain, the project aims to achieve long-term and measurable impact.

Pro-Planteurs and its project activities have four main subjects:

Pro-Planteurs supports cocoa farmers through training and advisory services aimed at improving farming practices. In Phase III of the project, particular attention is paid to women, whose plots often have relatively low productivity. As a result, their income from cocoa is significantly lower than that of men. The component also supports farms in adapting their agroforestry and farming systems in line with the African Regional Standard for Sustainable Cocoa (ARS-1000). The ARS-1000 is a cocoa standard that is being gradually introduced and rolled out as a mandatory standard in Côte d’Ivoire.

Cooperatives are supported by the project to meet new regulatory requirements related to the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) and ARS-1000. With the project’s support, cooperatives can provide their members with needs-based services and assistance in adapting to these regulatory changes.

The project also supports cooperatives in developing appropriate measures to address Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD), which is currently spreading rapidly in eastern Côte d’Ivoire and significantly reducing yields. In particular, the early detection of infections and the implementation of appropriate measures play a crucial role in limiting further spread.

At the supply chain level, the project focuses on sustainable procurement. The aim is for buyers to implement sustainable procurement models with cooperatives in line with the ISCO Principles on Sustainable Procurement. The implementation of these models is supported and evaluated by the project. This provides GISCO-members with an opportunity to work directly with the cooperatives supported by the Pro-Planteurs project.

Here you can find some models of sustainable procurement practices:

Cocoa Fiber

ECOTOP

Elucid

The Landbanking Group

Solidaridad

Pro-Planteurs supports dialogue and learning. The exchange of knowledge and innovations is particularly pro-moted in events in the various project regions. In this way, farmers' organisations become multipliers for information, innovations and good agricultural practice.

Explore our factsheets on Pro-Planteurs, the project’s main focus areas, activities, and selected results.

Factsheet PRO-PLANTEURS

English

Our members' project

Pro-Planteurs Phase 3 I 2025 - 2030

Professionalising cocoa producers and their organisations for more sustainable cocoa production

Pro-Planteurs and its project activities have four main subjects:

1. Good Agricultural Practices

2. Demand-oriented services provided by cooperatives

3. Promoting cooperation in the supply chain

4. Shared learning and innovation

Factsheets

Factsheet PRO-PLANTEURS

Factsheet PRO-PLANTEURS FR

Factsheet on the digital platform PRO-PLANTEURS

Factsheet on the Matching Fund PRO-PLANTEURS

Factsheet on training tools

Factsheet on the professionalisation of cooperatives

Factsheet on the selection process for the cooperatives’ training program

Factsheet on income monitoring

Factsheet on the PRO-PLANTEURS typology

Factsheet on service units

Pro-Planteurs Phase 1 & 2

The Project Pro-Planteurs

Matching Fund Pro-Planteurs

Strengthening the cooperation between members of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) and Pro-Plantuers

First phase (2020)

Second phase (2021)

Studies and Publications

Studies and Analysis

The role of Good Agricultural Practices in closing the Living Income gap: assessing their costs and benefits for Ivorian cocoa farmers

Study on the cost structure and access to financing of the cooperatives of the project PRO-PLANTEURS

Baseline Report PRO-PLANTEURS – Baseline / Côte d’Ivoire Submitted to: GIZ

Français : Baseline Report PRO-PLANTEURS – étude de base / Côte d’Ivoire Soumise à : GIZ

Abstract Baseline Studie

Ownership and Tennancy

Cost and Returns

Diversification Cocoa Cashew

Rapport Genre

Project Reports

Leadership Training: Reinforcing the leadership capacities of cocoa cooperative women’s committee members

Accompanying Reserach

The role of Good Agricultural Practices in closing the Living Income gap: assessing their costs and benefits for Ivorian cocoa farmers

Français : Le rôle des Bonnes Pratiques Agricoles dans la réduction de l’écart de revenu décent: évaluation de leurs coûts et avantages pour les producteurs de cacao en Côte d’Ivoire

Français : Comprendre l'hétérogénéité des producteurs et leur potentiel de revenu décent : Typologie des plantations cacaoyères en Côte d'Ivoire

Français : Améliorer le revenu des producteurs de cacao: évaluation de certaines stratégies sélectionnées en Côte d'Ivoire

Working towards a living income for cocoa farmers: assessing selected strategies in Côte d’Ivoire

Accompanying research on measures to achieve a living income for smallholders and increase sustainable cocoa production

Français : Durabilité écologique des systèmes agroforestiers à base de cacao en Côte d’Ivoire : cas de 4 départements (Agboville, Divo, Yamoussoukro et Dimbokro)

Ecological and social services of cocoa agroforestry systems to improve the livelihoods of farmers and sustainable cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire

Français : Évaluation de la durabilité socio-économique des systèmes agroforestiers. Un cas de cacaoculteurs du centre et du sud-est de la Côte d'Ivoire

Français : Évaluation des stratégies de diversification des exploitations agricoles pour l'amélioration des revenus et la production durable de cacao en Côte d'Ivoire

Français : Impacts agroécologiques des systèmes agroforestiers à base de cacao : Le cas de la Côte d'Ivoire

Français : Perceptions des ménages sur l’adoption des systèmes agroforestiers à base de cacaoyers en Côte d’Ivoire

Further Reading

Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector, Addressing Child Labour and Forced Labour

Gender Inequality in the Cocoa Supply Chain: Evidence from Smallholder Production in Ecuador and Uganda

Measuring Child Labor: the Who’s, the Where’s, the When’s, and the Why’s

Cash transfers, resilience and child labour in Ghana

Handlungsleitfaden zur Durchführung der Risikoanalyse für Kakao produzierende Länder