Cocoa and Forest Initiative: Mars Initial Action Plans to end deforestation and promoteforest restoration and protection in the cocoa supply chain
A. INTRODUCTION

The Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) is a public-private partnership launched in 2017 to bring thegovernments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana together with leading cocoa and chocolatecompanies, including Mars, to address deforestation in the cocoa supply chain. It was organizedby the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, and The Princeof Wales’s International Sustainability Unit (ISU).
For more information on CFI, please refer to Section D of this document.
B. MARS’ OVERALL VISION FOR THE COCOA & FORESTS INITIATIVE

Our Approach to Cocoa and Forests sets out our global aim to achieve a deforestation freecocoa supply chain for cocoa we source by 2025. Deforestation free is as defined in the
Accountability Framework. Recognizing that this complex challenge must be tackled
collectively, we firmly support the frameworks for action introduced by the governments ofCôte d’Ivoire and Ghana as part of the CFI. An initial focus on these two countries, representing
approximately 65% of the world’s cocoa production, is essential to achieve our commitment.
Our participation in CFI is fully aligned with the Mars-wide Sustainable in a Generation Plan and
our Cocoa for Generations strategy. Through this strategy, we will continue our journey tosource Responsible Cocoa across our entire supply chain by 2025, with measures to improve
farmer incomes, protect children and preserve forests. Our Approach to Cocoa and Forests
takes a further step by clarifying what we mean by ‘preserve forest’ and providing detail on
how we will achieve this goal. Meanwhile, we will pursue a long-term model for Sustainable
Cocoa in close partnership with an initial group of 75,000 cocoa farming families and our
suppliers, to test how productivity, income, resilience and overall sustainability can beincreased.

C. OVERVIEW OF MARS INITIAL ACTION PLANS

In full alignment with the CFI frameworks and national implementation plans for Côte d’Ivoire
and Ghana, we have developed initial action plans for the two countries. Our initial action plansset out our activities and investments between now and 2022 within the three CFI pillars ofForest Protection and Restoration, Sustainable Production and Farmers’ Livelihoods, andCommunity Engagement and Social Inclusion.
Some activities and financial investments within our action plans are still to be determined. We
will finalize these activities and investments in 2019 once governments make available theimportant background information we need to do so, such as boundary maps for protected
forests, updated operational guidance about land use in degraded forest areas, and social
protection guidelines for impacted cocoa-farming families. We will publish detailed actionplans once activities and investments are finalized.
We worked in partnership with our CFI-signatory cocoa suppliers to understand the measuresthey include in their individual implementation plans for each country, and to aggregate thesemeasures into overall country plans for Mars. To avoid double counting, Mars and othermanufacturers submitted data on their individual supply chains directly to WCF, and not
through suppliers. WCF aggregated our individual company plans and shared these with the
Ivorian and Ghanaian governments for input to ensure overall alignment. We are working in
partnership with all our suppliers to pursue quality implementation of our CFI country actionplans.
Key initial measures that Mars, through our suppliers, is taking to progress toward the CFI
commitments include actions under the three CFI pillars. The majority of our actions are alreadyunderway.
Forest Protection and Restoration
•

•

•
•

Map all 130,970 farms that form part of our Responsible and Sustainable cocoa
programs from which we source cocoa by 2022 (93,897 farms in Côte d’Ivoire and 37,073
in Ghana). Through this work, we aim for 100% of our cocoa supply to be traceable fromindividual farms to first purchase point.
Work with our suppliers to conduct geospatial deforestation risk assessments in all
direct sourcing areas. Our suppliers have conducted risk assessments of all farms
mapped to date using the provisional maps provided by the Government.
Implement operational guidelines to ensure no sourcing from National Parks andReserves.
Continue to cooperate with governments to implement and enforce forest protection
policies. Our own commitments rely on these being put into effect.

•

Pilot Payment for Environmental services with 1,065 farmers initially in Côte d’Ivoire.
Through the pilot, we want to learn what works for cocoa-farming families and where
we should scale this approach.

Sustainable Production and Farmers’ Livelihoods••

We will continue to invest in sustainable agricultural intensification in order to ‘grow
more cocoa on less land’:o As part of our Responsible Cocoa program, 60,863 farmers will benefit fromproductivity improvements. Program activities include training on good
agricultural and environmental practices and farmer incentives.
o Farmers in our Sustainable Cocoa program will also receive individual coaching
to support entrepreneurialism and the creation of Farm Development Plans that
support farm rehabilitation.
o Work with our suppliers in Ghana to distribute over half a million improved cocoa
planting material to farmers.
o Support the distribution and planting of over 2 million multi-purpose trees for
on-farm restoration via agroforestry (over 1.7 million trees in Côte d’Ivoire and250,000 trees in Ghana).
Promote financial inclusion of farmers by working with our suppliers to set up saving
accounts for 34,833 farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, and by supporting 7,500
farmers to participate in a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) in Côte d’Ivoire
with a view to learn how to scale this across both countries.

Social Inclusion and Community Engagement•••

Promote a participatory approach to implementing our action plans throughconsultations with cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
With an initial group of 20 communities in Côte d’Ivoire, test how to effectively establish
community-based natural resource management programs for forest protection.
Expand our gender-focused programs in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and establish youthfocused programs.

In both countries, company actions are partially contingent on governments establishingpolicies and systems for 100% cocoa traceability from farm to first purchase point. We willcontinue to support the development of such systems by working with governments, oursuppliers, others in the cocoa value chain and civil society. We will update our initial plans as
more information becomes available.
D. PUBLIC-PRIVATE ACTION: THE COCOA & FORESTS INITIATIVE BACKGROUND FROM WORLDCOCOA FOUNDATIONThe governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and the world’s leading cocoa and chocolatecompanies signed landmark agreements in November 2017 to end deforestation and promoteforest restoration and protection in the cocoa supply chain.
This new public-private partnership – called the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) – has beenorganized by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, and
The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit (ISU). The Prince of Wales launched CFI in
March 2017 in London.
The Frameworks for Action for Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana define core commitments, verifiableactions, and time bound targets required for a deforestation-free and forest-positive supply
chain.
The Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana play a critical leadership role in establishing thenational strategy, providing an enabling policy environment, and governance structure for CFI
implementation. They ensure that CFI is linked to similar initiatives with other commodities andis fully aligned with the national REDD+ Strategy and other relevant national strategies andplans. They provide key operational guidance, and baseline economic, environmental, andsocial data, to help companies identify and plan the most effective and efficient private
investment activities for CFI.
The Governments have prepared comprehensive national implementation plans (Côte d’Ivoire,
Ghana) that outline key public sector priorities, actions and timelines, following extensive
consultation with all stakeholders. During the first year of CFI, the Governments have launched
work on the key building blocks for successful CFI implementation, including important
revisions to the legal framework for sustainable forest management, preparation of up-to-dateboundary maps of protected areas, and collection of socio-economic and land use data for thepriority investment areas.
Thirty-three companies1, accounting for about 85% of global cocoa usage, have now joined CFI.
Each company has agreed to prepare a detailed individual action plan that spells out the
specific actions it will take in 2018-2022 to deliver the commitments set out in the Framework.
Each company will decide for itself how to best support the achievement of the Framework
objectives, based on their role in the supply chain, their corporate strategic priorities, and theircocoa sustainability goals.

1

Arysta Callivoire, Barry Callebaut, Blommer Chocolate Company, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate, Cémoi, Chocolats
Halba, Cocoanect, Cococo Chocolatiers, ECOM Group, Fazer, Ferrero, General Mills Inc., Godiva Chocolatier Inc.,
Guittard Chocolate Company, The Hershey Company, Indcresa, Lindt & Sprüngli Group, Marks & Spencer Food,Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Meiji Co. Ltd., Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Olam Cocoa, PBC Limited, Sainsbury’s,
SIAT, Tesco, Toms Group, Touton, Tree Global, Unilever, Valrhona, and J.H. Whittaker & Sons

Almost all companies have now completed initial action plans. These initial plans will be
updated and finalized in 2019 after the governments have completed the ongoing legal andoperational policy changes, the mapping of protected areas, baseline data collection, and otherbuilding blocks needed for full investment programming.2
CFI has been supported by several global development partners, including the United
Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Bank, theInternational Finance Corporation, the Global Environment Facility, and the Green
Commodities Program of the United Nations Development Program.
CFI is coordinated closely with a wide range of global and local environmental organizations
and partnerships, including the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, Amsterdam Declaration
Partnership, Partnerships for Forests, the Rainforest Alliance, and World Resources Institute.

I.

WHAT ARE THE KEY COMMITMENTS IN CFI?

The Frameworks are structured around three critical themes of (1) forest protection andrestoration, (2) sustainable production and farmers’ livelihoods, and (3) community
engagement and social inclusion.
The first priority is the protection and restoration of forests that have been degraded. To
this end, the governments and companies have pledged no further conversion of forest landfor cocoa production, and have committed to the phased elimination of illegal cocoa
production and sourcing in protected areas.
Both countries are introducing a differentiated approach for improved management of forest
reserves, based on the level of degradation of forests. Up-to-date maps on forest cover andland-use, socio-economic data on cocoa farmers, and detailed operational guidelines covering
forest management and land-use are being developed and will be publicly disclosed.
To ensure effective implementation and monitoring of these commitments, companies havepledged to develop verifiable monitoring systems for traceability from farm to the firstpurchase point for their own purchases of cocoa, and to work with governments to ensure aneffective national framework for traceability encompassing all traders in the supply chain.

2

The actions pending further information are marked “to be determined” in the initial company action plans

The next critical priority is sustainable agricultural production and increased farmer
incomes. These are essential pre-requisites for reducing the pressure of agricultural
encroachment into forests and strengthening the resilience of cocoa farmers to climate change.
The governments and companies have agreed to accelerate investment in long-term
productivity of cocoa in order to grow “more cocoa on less land.” Key actions include: provisionof improved planting materials, training in good agricultural practices, soil fertility, land tenurereform, and capacity building of farmers’ organizations. Sustainable livelihoods and income
diversification for cocoa farmers will be accelerated through food crop diversification,
agricultural inter-cropping, and development of mixed agro-forestry systems and shadegrown cocoa.
The final area of focus is strong community engagement and social inclusion, with aparticular focus on women and youth. The governments and companies have committed tofull and effective consultation and participation of cocoa farmers in the design andimplementation of key actions, and promotion of community-based management models forforest protection and restoration. The governments will assess and mitigate the social impacts
and risks of any proposed land-use changes on affected communities.
The set of public-private actions represent unprecedented commitments on forest protection
and restoration, and sustainable cocoa production and farmer livelihoods. These combined
actions, which are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, will play a crucial role insequestering carbon stocks and thereby addressing global and local climate change.

ANNEXES
Annex 1: Summary Table of Company Initial Action Plans for Côte d’Ivoire
Commitment

Actions

To be delivered by 2022

Forest Protection and Restoration

1. No further conversion of any forest land (asdefined under national regulations, and using
HCS and HCV methodologies) for cocoa
production.

2. Elimination of cocoa production andsourcing in National Parks and Reserves inline with promulgation and enforcement of
national forest policy and development ofalternative livelihoods for affected farmers

1.1 Conduct farm mapping within direct supply
chain to identify and collect cocoa farmboundaries to ensure cocoa is not being sourced
from forest lands, National Parks and Reserves,
and Classified Forests

93,897 farms mapped

1.2 Conduct deforestation risk assessments in all
direct sourcing areas

TBD hectares (ha)included in deforestation
risk assessment

2.1 Adopt and publish a system for excluding
farmers in the direct supply chain with cocoa
production in protected areasYes

2.2 All farms found in National Parks and Reserves
reported to government
2.3 Support cocoa farmers' transition to alternative
livelihoods

3. No sourcing of cocoa from National Parks
and Reserves through companies’ traceable
direct sourcing programs.

3.1 Implement traceability tools/technology toensure no cocoa purchases originate from
National Parks or Reserves (all forest areas)

4. A differentiated approach based on thelevel of degradation of forests for classified
Forests will be developed and translated intoa national forest restoration strategy

4.1 Support the restoration of Classified Forests byworking with cocoa farmers, the government andthe forestry industry to implement contracts formixed agroforestry as a restoration and livelihoods
intervention

5. Legal protection and management status
for the remaining forests of Côte d’Ivoire in
the Rural Domain

5.1 Cooperate with the government on
enforcement to prevent deforestation in thelegally protected forest estate (rural domain)

6. Up-to-date maps on forest cover and landuse for the different forests, and socioeconomic data on cocoa farmers developed
and publicly disclosed, and detailed
operational guidelines prepared

7. Public enforcement of the new Forest Codeand its subsequent guidelines, and public
sector governance will be strengthened

8. Public-private collaboration to mobilize
resources for forest protection andrestoration% farms in Natl Parks &Reserves reported togovernment: TBD# of total farmers inprotected areas receiving
assistance for alternative
livelihoods: TBD
100%# farmer 'agroforestry
restoration' contracts
signed: TBD# hectares restored inClassified Forests: TBD# hectares of forest inrural domain protected:
TBD

6.1 Support the government's forthcoming
adaptive management plans for different forest
areas to benefit the livelihoods of forestdependent cocoa communities

Yes

6.2 Participate in the development and operationof land-use and land-use planning at national andregional levels by sharing existing land use maps
with governmentYes

7.1 Promote and participate in awareness-raising
campaigns to educate farmers on the new Forest
Code
7.2 Update farmer engagement materials andtraining with the revised Forest Code

8.1 Mobilize finance for forest protection andrestoration

39,662 farmers reached atawareness eventsYes$ mobilized towards
forest protection andrestoration: TBD# hectares with forest
protection andrestoration financing: TBD
1,065 farmers
participating in PES
contracts

9. Public-private collaboration to identify
good practices, technical guidance andincentive mechanisms for forest restoration
and agro-forestry

10. Government creation, in collaboration
with all stakeholders, of a public-private fundto support financing of protection andrestoration of HCV forest areas.

9.1 Support distribution and planting of multipurpose trees for on-farm restoration via
agroforestry

9.2 Support distribution and planting of native
trees for off-farm restoration (reforestation)

10.1 Support the creation of the public-private
forest conservation and rehabilitation fund

1,743,262 multi-purpose
trees distributed for onfarm planting
31,892 hectares cocoa
agroforestry developed# native trees planted
off-farm# ha of forest area
restored$ contributed to fund:
TBD

Sustainable Production and Farmers' Livelihoods
11.1 Distribute improved cocoa planting material
11. Promote investment in long-term
productivity of cocoa in environmentally
suitable areas in order to grow “more cocoa
on less land”

11.2 Establish and/or provide cocoa nurseries withimproved cocoa planting material
11.3 Train farmers in Good Agriculture Practices(GAPs)
11.4 Support cocoa farm rehabilitation
12.1 Promote farm-level crop diversification

12. Promote sustainable livelihoods andincome diversification for cocoa farmers

13. Promote financial inclusion and innovation
to deepen farmers’ access to working capitaland investment funds for production andfarm renovation

12.2 Support distribution and planting of multipurpose trees for on-farm restoration via
agroforestry

13.1 Promote farmer savings

13.2 Offer financial products to farmers# improved seedlings
distributed to farmers:
TBD# of nurseries withimproved cocoa
seedlings: TBD
60,863 farmers trained in
GAPs# of hectares of cocoa
rehabilitated: TBD
24,391 farmers applying
crop diversification
1,743,262 multi-purpose
trees distributed for onfarm planting
12,711 farmers in supply
chain with a savings
account
7,500 farmers
participating in VSLA
groups8,743 farmers offered afinancial product14.1 Conduct farm mapping within direct supply
chain to identify and collect cocoa farmboundaries to ensure cocoa is not being sourced
from forest lands, National Parks and Reserves,
and Classified Forests

93,897 farms mapped
within direct supply chain

14.2 Implement traceability system to farm level indirect supply chain

100% of direct sourced
cocoa traceable fromindividual farms to firstpurchase point

15. Full and effective information sharing,consultation, and informed participation of
cocoa farmers and their communities who are
affected by proposed land-use changes.

15.1 Organize cocoa community consultations on
the implementation of the Frameworks for Action

132 communities with
consultation sessions

16. Promote community-based management
models for forest protection and restoration

16.1 Establish and/or support community-based
natural resource management programs for forest
restoration/protection

20 of cocoa communities
with active forest
restoration andprotection program# hectares under CBNRM

14. Improve supply chain mapping, with thegoal of 100% of cocoa sourcing traceablefrom farm to first purchase point. An action
plan will be developed for traceability, which
will be implemented step-by-step to achieve
full traceability and verification, applicable toall by end-2019.
Social Inclusion and Community Engagement17. Development of action plans for forest
protection and restoration, and sustainableagricultural intensification that are genderand youth sensitive.

17.1 Develop forest protection & restoration andagriculture intensification action plans that are
gender and youth sensitive

TBD = To Be Determined, following additional inputs from Government# cocoa communities withgender-focusedprograms: TBD# cocoa communities withyouth-focused programs:
TBD

Annex 2: Summary Table of Company Initial Action Plans for Ghana

Commitments

Actions

To be delivered by2022

Forest Protection and Restoration
1. No further conversion of any forest land (asdefined under national regulations, and using
HCS and HCV methodologies for cocoa
production.

1.1 Conduct farm mapping within supply chain toensure cocoa is not being sourced from forest
land
1.2 Conduct deforestation risk assessments in all
sourcing areas.

37,073 farms mapped# hectares included inrisk assessment: TBD

2.1 All farms found in protected areas will bereported to the GovernmentYes

2.2 Adopt and publish a system for excluding
farmers in the supply chain with cocoa productionin protected areas.

Yes

3.1 End sourcing from all farms identified within
Category 1 Forest Reserve areas by 31 December
2019.

Yes

3.2 Support farmers in Category 2 Forest Reserveareas in their restoration and reforestation
programs# hectares ofCategory 2 Forest
Reserve areas
restored: TBD

4.1 Train farmers in off-reserve forest lands in CSC
production including cocoa agroforestry systems

24,254 farmers
trained in CSC bestpractices

4.2 Train farmers in Modified Taungya System(MTS)# farmers trained in
MTS: TBD

5.1 Join one/several HIA(s) in the cocoa-sourcing
area# HIA(s) joined incocoa sourcing areas:
TBD

5.2 Implement GCFRP CSC Good-Practice
Guidelines with farmers within the HIAs

# farmers within HIAs
have adopted CSC
best practices: TBD

6. Up-to-date maps on forest cover and landuse, socio-economic data on cocoa farmers,
and detailed operational guidelines covering
Category 1 and 2 reserves, will all be developed
and publicly disclosed.

6.1 Share maps and data with appropriate
government bodies

Yes

6.2 Participate in the development of operationalguidelines for Category 1 and 2 Forest Reserves

Yes

7. Land and tree tenure reforms, and benefit
sharing arrangement to incentivize land owners
and users to retain naturally regenerated trees
will be accelerated, including approval of
CREMA mechanism.

7.1 Support farmers with tree registration

TBD # trees registered

7.2 Support cocoa farmers to acquire land (tenure)documentation

TBD # farmers withsecure land titles

8.1 Promote awareness-raising campaigns to
educate farmers on forest law enforcement andtree tenure provisions

24,254 farmers
reached at awarenessevents

9.1 Mobilize finance for forest protection andrestoration

Amount of $mobilized towards
forest protection andrestoration: TBD# hectares with forest
protection &restoration financing

2. No production and sourcing of cocoa from
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, andWildlife Resource Reserves, except from farms
with existing legal status.
3. A differentiated approach for Forest Reserves
will be adopted, based on level of degradation;with elimination of sourcing of cocoa in lessdegraded reserves (Cat.1) as of 31 December
2019; and production and sourcing for a period
up to 25 years through MTS in more degradedreserves (Cat. 2).
4. In highly degraded off reserve forest lands,
cocoa production and sourcing will continue,
supported by climate smart cocoa and MTS.

5. In all areas, a multi-stakeholder landscapeapproach will be followed, with an initial focus
on the six Climate-Smart Cocoa Hotspot
Intervention Areas as defined under GCFRP.

8. Public sector forest law enforcement andgovernance will be strengthened

9. Public-private collaboration to mobilize newsources of funding for forest protection andrestoration, and to incentivize farmers’
adoption of environmentally sustainable cocoa
production will be developed.

TBD # farmers
participating in PES
contracts

10. Public-private collaboration will beenhanced to identify good practices andtechnical guidance for forest conservation andrestoration, shade grown cocoa, and MTS in
Forest Reserves.

10.1 Support distribution and planting of multipurpose trees for on-farm restoration via
agroforestry

10.2 Support distribution and planting of native
trees for off-farm restoration (reforestation)
10.3 Train farmers in Modified Taungya System(MTS)

262,087 multipurpose
trees distributed for
on-farm planting
2,534 hectares of
cocoa agroforestry
250,000 native trees
planted off-farm

TBD # hectares offorest area restored
TBD # farmers trainedin MTS

Sustainable Production and Farmer Livelihoods
11.1 Distribute improved cocoa planting material
11. Promote investment in long-term
productivity of high quality cocoa inenvironmentally sustainable manner and grow“more cocoa on less land.”11.2 Establish and/or provide cocoa nurseries withimproved cocoa planting material
11.3 Train farmers and producer organizations in
the latest Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs)
11.4 Support cocoa farm rehabilitation

12. Develop implementation plans, including
mapping of exact areas to intensify
establishment of shaded cocoa landscapes inline with GCFRP, with the promotion of Climate
Smart Cocoa and the national Climate Smart
Cocoa Standard.

13. Promote sustainable livelihoods and income
diversification for cocoa farmers.

12.1 Promote the Climate Smart Cocoa Standard

13.1 Support distribution and planting of multipurpose trees for on-farm restoration via
agroforestry

13.2 Promote farm-level crop diversification

14. Promote financial inclusion and innovation
to deepen farmers’ access to working capitaland investment funds required for production
and cocoa farm rehabilitation and renovation.

14.1 Promote expansion of farmer savings

14.2 Offer financial products to farmers
15. Improve supply chain mapping, with 100%of cocoa sourcing traceable from farm to firstpurchase point. An action plan will be
developed that maps out key principles, steps,
and milestones to achieve this step,
encompassing all national and international
traders.
Social Inclusion and Community Engagement

15.1 Conduct mapping to identify and collectcocoa farm boundaries polygon data
15.2 Implement traceability system to farm level in
100% of supply chain by end-2019

746,276 improved
seedlings distributed
to farmers
71 nurseries withimproved cocoa
seedlings
24,254 farmers
trained in GAPs

# of hectares of cocoa
rehabilitated: TBD# of farmers adopting
CSC: TBD

262,087 multipurpose
trees distributed for
on-farm planting
2,534 hectares of
cocoa agroforestry
11,403 farmers
applying crop
diversification
22,122 farmers in
supply chain with asavings account# farmers
participating in VSLA
groups: TBD
5,200 farmers
offered a financial
product
37,073 farms mapped
within direct supply
chain
100 % cocoa supply
traceable fromindividual farms tofirst purchase point16. Full and effective information sharing,consultation, and informed participation of
cocoa farmers and their communities who are
affected by proposed land-use changes.

16.1 Organize cocoa community consultations on
the implementation of the Frameworks for Action

17. Promote community-based management
models for forest protection and restoration.

17.1 Establish and/or support community-based
natural resource management (CBNRM) programs
for forest restoration/protection

18. Development of action plans for forest
protection and restoration, and sustainableagricultural intensification that are gender andyouth sensitive.

18.1 Develop forest protection & restoration andagriculture intensification action plans that are
youth and gender sensitive

TBD = To Be Determined, following additional inputs from Government

TBD # communities
with consultation
sessions# cocoa communities
with active forest
restoration andprotection program:
TBD# hectares under
CBNRM# cocoa communities
with gender-focusedprograms: TBD# cocoa communities
with youth-focusedprograms: TBD