COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR COCOA GROWING REGIONS OF KERALA AND ANDHRA PRADESH

PROJECT BACKGROUND 

The main goal of “Cocoa Life” program is to create a vibrant, strong cocoa supply chain while growing opportunities that transform the lives and livelihoods of farmers and their communities. This can only be achieved through empowered, thriving cocoa communities which is the essential foundation for sustainable cocoa.

In the first year of Cocoa life community Development Program, 4000 farms in 2 Districts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were covered focusing on three categories of Cocoa community including owners, workers and care takers.

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAMME

• Improve labor standards through capacity building on safety, child development and prevention of workplace harassment.
• Raise awareness and capacitate farm workers on their rights and opportunities for
• Improve community health and well-being.
• Promoting water literacy among Cocoa community to understand importance of water conservation and management.
• Increasing women’s opportunities and capabilities to influence decisions in the community and in cocoa farming
• To address specific issues concerning youth and elders.
• Maximize the benefit of Government schemes to Cocoa community through awareness and enrolment.

IMPACT OF THE PROGRAMME

Under Cocoa life community Development Program, in the Ist year 4000 farms in 2 Districts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were covered focusing on three categories of Cocoa community including owners, workers and care takers.

In the first phase the program focused more on the capacity development in 6 thematic areas of:

1. Child Development
2. Women Empowerment
3. Health, hygiene and sanitation
4. Decent Work Practice
5. Water literacy
6. Enrolment to secure government Schemes.

Phase one was effective which could help to reach the community to address their problems to an extent.  Based on the experience of phase one and the demand from the community, location specific effective strategies are introduced in the second year that would help the community at large to address their issues.

In the second Year, it is planned to expand the program to cover 10000 farms (5000 farms in each state) covering 6 Districts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.