About the Project
The agricultural sector in Côte d’Ivoire accounts for around 20% of GDP and nearly 70% of the workforce, most of whom are small farmers. While the country is one of the leading agribusiness producers in the West Africa region, Côte d’Ivoire is emerging from a fragile post conflict state, with political stability reached in 2011 following legislative elections.
In 2008, a World Development Report on Côte d’Ivoire concluded that agricultural growth is the key to achieving overall growth, reducing poverty and increasing food security for the rural poor. A new joint implementation plan by the World Bank and IFC identified cocoa as a key strategic sector owing to its economic importance to Côte d’Ivoire and the rest of the globe. As the world’s top cocoa producer, Côte d’Ivoire provides more than 40% of global production. Currently the country has approximately 900,000 smallholder cocoa farmers and nearly four million Ivoirians depend on cocoa for their income. However, during the 2014/2015 cocoas season, Côte d’Ivoire’s total cocoa yield was estimate