Unlike other crops grown for global consumption, cocoa production doesn’t take place on large-scale plantations. Instead, 95% of the world’s cocoa comes from smallholder farms just two to five hectares in size, with 70% produced across western Africa in countries including Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
“Cocoa is traditionally a low-yield crop,” says Darrell High, head of Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan – an initiative committed to a more sustainable approach to cocoa farming. “Each farm produces, on average, about 400kg of cocoa per hectare. It means most farmers are generating just over a tonne of cocoa each year, which, unfortunately, doesn’t bring in a lot of income.”
