Re-imagining Global Agriculture and Food Systems

Parents in the cocoa farming communities of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where over 65% of the world’s cocoa comes from, have the same concerns as parents around the world. Their preference is to have their children in school. However, unlike many other parents, they don’t always have that choice. The daily reality they face, of either sending their child to school or getting extra help on the farm to support the family, is one that most people can’t begin to understand. This is the case for many children reported to be working on cocoa farms in these two countries, but the entire cocoa supply chain, from cocoa farmers, cocoa processors and chocolate manufacturers, to national governments and industry bodies, has been working collectively to give cocoa growing communities a choice.  We also know that financial vulnerability lies at the heart of this problem and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) are one solution that is creating positive change. VSLAs work by handing the