We are working to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families through our participation in the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), a public-private partnership between the cocoa and chocolate industry and government supporters. This program, which is operating in West Africa, has successfully promoted farmers' organizations and co-operatives leading to improvements designed to help farmers achieve better prices for their cocoa.

In addition, Mars is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), a global organization of cocoa and chocolate companies, processors, traders and others who are dedicated to improving the conditions of cocoa farmers and the communities in which they live. WCF programs raise farmer incomes, encourage responsible, sustainable cocoa farming and help strengthen cocoa farming communities. Members provide financial contributions as well as technical expertise and guidance to partners in West Africa and other program locations.

Support of social initiatives

Mars is supporting social initiatives committed to improving the working conditions of farmers and ensuring their children get a school education. This includes programs such as the Farmer Field Schools in West & Central Africa, East Asia and Latin America. Smallholders and their families learn about preventive health and safety precautions in production, and are made aware of how significant school education is for the future of their children. The Farmer Field Schools have already reached several hundred thousand smallholders, thereby helping them increase their average income by 30 to 40 percent.

With the initiative 'Mars Partnership for African Cocoa Communities of Tomorrow', known as iMPACT, Mars is pursuing the goal of pioneering a joint collaboration to implement an integrated, sustainable and scalable community development program, reflecting community identified social, economic and environmental needs. USD 4.5 million were made available for this three-year project running from 2007 to 2009. It is aimed at rural communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in the heart of the West African cocoa belt who are reliant on cocoa as a means of income and rural livelihood.

Our international partners in iMPACT are: Africare, Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ, the German development agency), the International Cocoa Initiative, the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), the Rainforest Alliance, and the Sustainable Tree Crops Program. In this initial phase, the partnership aims to demonstrate that an integrated approach that includes agriculture, environment, education and health can lead to distinct changes in both the income and social welfare of rural communities. These steps to address cocoa growing conditions in West Africa are the continuation of a long-term commitment Mars began in 1998 to improve the well-being of millions of small farmers who grow cocoa.

To learn more, please visit http://www.cocoasustainability.com/