Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of cashews, coffee and palm oil, and roughly 70 percent of the population depends on agriculture related activities for their livelihoods. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products. TechnoServe is working with small-scale cashew and cocoa farmers to help them significantly increase their incomes.
Technoserve/Côte d’Ivoire
TechnoServe/Côte d’Ivoire Contact:
Established: 2009
Practices: Building Businesses and Industries
Sectors: Agriculture & Agribusiness
Building Businesses and Industries
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Cashew
TechnoServe is an implementing partner in a project led by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) to improve the lives of 150,000 small-scale cashew farmers in West and Southern Africa. The project aims to improve the quality of raw cashew nut cultivation, increase farmer productivity, improve links between smallholder farmers and the marketplace, increase African processing capacity, and promote a sustainable global market for African cashews. TechnoServe’s role in this project will be similar to our ongoing programs in the cashew sector in other countries —working with farmers and processors to improve the quality of their cashews in order to fetch higher prices on a global market and to promote job creation in rural areas.
Key supporter: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Cocoa
TechnoServe is an implementing partner in a project led by the World Cocoa Federation (WCF) that seeks to double the incomes of one third of cocoa farming households in West Africa within 10 years. Cocoa is West Africa’s largest agricultural export, providing income for millions of small-scale farmers, many of whom live in rural areas and rely on agriculture to earn a living. The project aims to increase farming household incomes through improved farmer knowledge and productivity, better cocoa quality, crop diversification, and improved supply chain efficiencies.
Key supporter: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
"To me TechnoServe has always been distinguished by its long-term commitment to building cooperatives and businesses from the bottom up in a way that makes sense for the individuals."
PATRICIA M. CLOHERTY
Chairman and CEO, Delta Private Equity Partners