Mondelēz International Revs Up Forest Protection Efforts in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire
Mondelēz International continues to make moves to clean up its cocoa supply chains by teaming up with governments across West Africa in an effort to tackle the problem of deforestation. Through its Cocoa Life sustainable sourcing program, the snack company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Environment as part of the country’s REDD+ program and a Letter of Intent with the Forestry Commission of Ghana and the UN Development Program to establish a REDD+ partnership in Ghana.
Cocoa is highly susceptible to climate change and rising temperatures and reduced rainfall are putting the industry at risk. Tropical rainforests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and adaptation, but unsustainable agricultural practices that drive deforestation are undermining the resilience of the sector. Public-private partnerships, such as Mondelēz International’s latest initiative, are critical in protecting valuable natural resources and safeguarding the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.
Together, Cocoa Life and Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Environment will create a forest protection map, land use plan and tracking system to identify deforestation risks and opportunities to restore forest cover in the Nawa region, which borders Tai National Park, one of the last areas of primary rainforest in West Africa. Cocoa Life will also promote sustainable agricultural practices to enable farmers to improve productivity, adopt agro-forestry systems and free up land for other crops or reforestation.
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