Cameroon’s cocoa thrives in rich agroforestry systems, where cocoa trees coexist with towering forests, fruit trees like mango and avocado, and non-timber species such as bush mango and jansang. This sustainable approach preserves biodiversity and boosts ecosystem services. However, for ...

Partners of the European Union (EU) Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP) seized the opportunity of the Cocoa & Coffee festival organized in Yaoundé from 10 to 12 April to raise awareness among Cameroonian cocoa and coffee farmers on how to comply with the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

On March 18, 2025, key stakeholders gathered in Abidjan for a workshop organized by the FAO Investment Centre and the European Union (EU) to assess the progress of the Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP) in Côte d'Ivoire. The event brought together Ivorian authorities and implementing partners, including the FAO Investment Centre, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). 

From 13 to 22 October 2024, a delegation of experts, institutions and practitioners involved in promoting agroforestry in the cocoa sector in Côte d’Ivoire participated in a study tour in Cameroon. The Ivorian delegation met with produc...

Europe's cocoa and chocolate market, one of the largest in the world, is a stable and flourishing market. Most of the cocoa and chocolate consumed in the EU originates from West Africa, however, in these countries, cocoa farmers have seen their income decline so much in the past decades that many live in poverty. 

Cameroon, the third largest cocoa producing country in Africa and the fifth in the world, has a long tradition of growing cocoa in complex agroforestry systems, in which cocoa plants grow in the shade of other trees to provide the needed balance of light and humidity.

In the past decade, the international chocolate market has become more sophisticated with an increasing number of consumers focusing on quality chocolate and manufacturers branding higher cacao content from specific origins. 

The European Union’s sixth virtual Cocoa Talks will look at how to mobilize development cooperation and finance for a more sustainable and inclusive cocoa sector. These talks, launched in late 2020, have brought together representatives from EU member states, cocoa producing countries, industry and civil society organizations to advance the cocoa sustainability and equity agenda.

Demand for high-end and specialty chocolate is growing. But does superior quality cocoa translate into higher market prices and incomes for cocoa producers? That is one of the big questions a new market intelligence study hopes to answer.