Opening Ceremony: Sustainable Forest Management in the Cavally Region

On 8 February 2023, the opening ceremony of the « Sustainable Forest Management through the PPI Approach” took place in the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire. Several stakeholders and members of the government gathered at the Cavally Regional Council in Guiglo to mark this moment.

With an estimated budget of 1,9 million Euros (or 1,3 Billion FCFA), this project is the result of a collaboration between the coffee department of Olam Food & Ingredients (OFI) and IDH. It is part of the ISLA Program, IDH sustainable landscape management program, and aims to contribute to the green growth of the Cavally region, the « ecological lung of Côte d’Ivoire », as stated by the 4th vice-president of the Cavally Regional Council.

This green growth will be achieved through IDH PPI approach (protection of forests, sustainable agricultural production, and social inclusion).

Opening ceremony of the « Sustainable Forest Management »
Opening ceremony of the « Sustainable Forest Management » in the Cavally region

 

According to Mrs. Carole Attoungbré, IDH Country Director (Côte d'Ivoire):

The main objective of the project is to ensure that the revival of coffee production in the Cavally region does not come at the expense of the forest cover and sustainable development, as it happened in the past. We are particularly delighted that this resonates with a partner like OFI.

Indeed, the Cavally Region, home to the main forest relics of the country: the classified forest of Cavally and the National Park of Taï (world heritage of UNESCO), has lost more than 80% of its forest cover in the during the last decades. This deforestation has been mainly attributed to coffee and cocoa production. However, after years of decline, coffee farming is reviving in the region due to improved prices on the international market.

The project aims to contain and reduce the pressure on the Taï National Park and other protected areas in the eastern part of the Cavally region, while improving the income of the region’s populations. More specifically, the project will:

  • Contribute to the preservation and rehabilitation of the landscape of the source of the Hana River, the main river that drains the Taï National Park in collaboration with the OIPR;
  • Contribute to the protection and preservation of the Cavally classified forest through patrols and the destruction of agricultural plantations within the classified forest.
  • Support 300 producers in sustainable coffee production through the adoption of good agricultural and environmental practices, particularly agroforestry and the renewal of the ageing orchard.
  • Support agricultural entrepreneurship for nearly 1000 women from coffee producing communities through access to finance by establishing a relationship with UNACOOPEC-CI

Moreover, for many of the OFI representatives, this project will also guarantee the traceability of the origin of the coffee as well as its productive, commercial, and ecological quality through trainings in good agronomic, social and environmental practices.  It will also certify the value chain to increase additional income for producers, cooperatives and OLAM and ensure that coffee production does not come from protected areas or classified forests. The project will also map protected areas and watercourses and conduct awareness campaigns for their protection and restoration; and ensure that stripped areas or surfaces are massively reforested, allowing the reconstitution of the local ecosystem.

Ultimately, this project will contribute enormously to the conservation of forest resources, the revival of the coffee sector and the improvement of the incomes of rural communities, particularly women, in OLAM’s supply areas.