Deforestation-free cocoa for the Amazon Piedmont

Led by: Fundación Alisos

Consortium partners: Rainforest Alliance - Wildlife Conservation Society

Implementation period: March 2021 - March 2024

Sector: Just Rural Transition

This project strengthened forest and landscape restoration, promoting sustainable livelihoods through a deforestation-free and climate-smart cocoa value chain across three departments in the Amazon region of Colombia: Caquetá, Guaviare, and Putumayo. These regions are strategically significant due to their high deforestation rates, suitability for sustainable agroforestry systems, and prioritization within the Peace Agreement.

By strengthening cocoa farmers' skills in organizational, commercial, and technical areas and implementing technology for traceability and biodiversity monitoring, the associations enhanced their capacities in cocoa crop management, forest conservation, influence in decision-making spaces, gender inclusion, and competitiveness in specialized markets. This improvement significantly impacted the quality of life of the producers.

Furthermore, producer associations actively participated in developing guidelines for agroforestry models and restoration plans, adopting these guidelines to improve their agroforestry systems. The project designed and implemented the Kasco application in 10 associations, including the formation of MRV committees and the implementation of auxiliary systems for forest and biodiversity monitoring.

Quotes website UK PACT-1-Cacao para la vida - Alisos project - Colombia

Finca Bella Playa (1)

Long-term outcomes

Within the framework of implementing a business model that guarantees the production of differentiated cocoa and the well-being of cocoa-producing families (with an emphasis on gender equality), a successful result was achieved by involving women and young people in traceability processes. The partnerships linked to this strategy assure their customers in the European Union and Colombia a product verified as 'Zero Deforestation' through the Cocoa for Life programme. This includes fact sheets, data, and indicators on social, environmental, and productive factors that prove their Amazonian origin, the communities that produce it, the conserved forest areas, and the species inhabiting protected landscapes.
Producer associations actively participated in constructing guidelines for agroforestry models and restoration plans, using these guidelines as key considerations to enhance their agroforestry arrangements in demonstration farms. A total of 284 farmers learned sustainable farming practices from their peers. The associations can improve future decision-making for promoting these models by following the recommendations outlined in a guide to develop climate-smart and resilient cocoa agroforestry landscapes. Read the report Here.

The design and implementation of the Kasco application in 10 associations included the formation of MRV committees and the implementation of auxiliary forest monitoring systems in 9 associations. This initiative resulted in a total of 192 registered farms (83 in Putumayo, 97 in Caquetá, and 12 in Guaviare). Biodiversity monitoring was conducted in 5 associations, covering a total of 131 farms (58 in Putumayo, 43 in Caquetá, and 30 in Guaviare). Additionally, 286 recorders were deployed, leading to the identification of 165 bird species that are indicators sensitive to forest change or disturbance, along with a biodiversity gain index report. Access the guide Here.

Deforestation-free cocoa for the Amazon Piedmont

Long-term outcomes

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