Nestlé’s income accelerator programme is helping cocoa farmers substantially improve cocoa productivity as well as increase their net income. According to a report, accelerator cocoa farms contributed to a 32% increase in cocoa yields. The total net income of income accelerator households rose by 38%, resulting in a higher proportion of these households achieving a living income.
The report is based on a study conducted over the first 18 months of the income accelerator programme, in which a sample of 2,000 households spanning 28 cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire were examined.
The study additionally found that Nestlé’s programme has effectively mitigated diseases and pests on farms, thanks to the implementation of good agricultural practices. The programme has facilitated income diversification, promoted financial access and positively influenced women empowerment and child schooling rates. School enrolment is a key focus area of the income accelerator programme, and the proportion of children attending school increased by 10% (vs. 5% in the comparison group).
Furthermore, there has been a remarkable surge in the proportion of households investing in small businesses, such as agro-processing, boutiques, barbershops or soap-making. The increase is more than double, rising from 21% in 2022 to 55% in 2023. At the time of the study, these activities were still in an exploratory phase and had not yet generated significant income changes.
The programme also promotes women’s financial inclusion by facilitating their participation in Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). These associations provide opportunities for savings and loans, with a particular focus on women looking to start or expand their own business. They offer various training on topics such as gender equality and entrepreneurship. The study highlights a 52% increase in the number of women enrolled in these associations.
“The test-at-scale of Nestlé’s income accelerator programme has confirmed the initial results we saw in the pilot phase,” commented Darrell High, Global Cocoa Manager at Nestlé. “The programme is transforming the way cocoa is farmed by professionalising labour and ensuring trees are pruned. It is great to see that these professionally pruned farms deliver higher yields which translates to higher income for cocoa-farming families. By putting the family at the centre of the programme, we empower women who are supporting their children’s education and are pursuing opportunities to diversify their household's income. We are continuing to gather feedback from the farming families, to learn and adapt the programme accordingly. We are excited to have started to scale the programme to 30,000 farming households and will continue to report on our progress.”
The Nestlé income accelerator test-at-scale was launched in January 2022 with the aim of helping close the living income gap of cocoa-farming families and tackling child labour risks. The programme encourages behavioral change and rewards positive practices, both within households and on the farms. The programme offers incentives to cocoa-farming families who enrol their children in school, adopt good agricultural practices, participate in agroforestry activities, and diversify their sources of income.
The programme has so far supported more than 10,000 families in Côte d'Ivoire and is expanding to Ghana this year to include a total of 30,000 families. By 2030, the programme aims to reach an estimated 160,000 cocoa-farming families in Nestlé's global cocoa supply chain to create impact at scale.
Information
More details can be found in the Income Accelerator Programme Progress Report Summary.
Read the full report here.