The first 130 land tenure documents were delivered to cocoa farmers as part of a pilot by CLAP.

During a celebratory ceremony in Guitry on 12 May 2022, cocoa farmers officially received the first 130 land certificates as part of the first pilot by CLAP. 

Obtaining this documentation for the farmers is an essential step toward a living income. Having formal rights to their land enables farmers’ legal tenure security, clear land rights and peace of mind. It ensures that they can safely invest in their land - securing their livelihoods and legacy for the next generations.

“It is a big opportunity for us to participate in this program. Obtaining land certificates on our own takes a long time and is expensive, too expensive. With the support of CLAP agents, we were able to get our certificates faster and at a better price. I would like for other cocoa regions in Côte d’Ivoire to have the opportunity to benefit from CLAP as well.”

Jean Pierre Dabe Agnieba
Traditional Chief of Bouboudi

Impact

• 130 land tenure documents

• The certificates cover over 580 hectares

• Over 40% of the certificates include women directly

Part of
The Cote d’Ivoire Land Partnership (CLAP)

Country and region
Cote d’Ivoire, Bouboudi and Cochem-Dida villages (Guitry Department)

Commodity Chain
Cocoa

Consortium
CLAP consists of founding industry leaders The Hershey Company, Unilever, Barry Callebaut Group, Cocoa Horizons Foundation, the German Cooperation (implemented by GIZ GmbH), and the German Cocoa and Chocolate Foundation, joining forces with other industry members ETG-Beyond Beans Foundation, Ferrero and Cargill. It is endorsed by AFOR (Agence Foncière Rurale) and managed by Meridia, who executes this project with Audace Institut Afrique, Géomètre Expert CITRAT and CETIF.

An affordable alternative for formal land rights

Ivorian cocoa farmers who want to formalise their land rights can often not afford to do this. CLAP offers a fast and affordable alternative - a fit-for-purpose documentation solution that is cost-effective, technology-based and participatory.

Thanks to the collaboration and co-funding between cocoa industry leaders, the Ivorian government, the German Cooperation (implemented by GIZ GmbH) and cocoa farmers, the first beneficiaries from the Guitry department, the villages of Cochem-Dida and Bouboudi, were now able to secure their land legally with tenure documentation.

“The topic of land in rural areas is a major issue in Côte d'Ivoire; it is a subject that concerns all sectors of the national economy and represents a solid foundation for peace and social cohesion. This is why AFOR exists and we support the CLAP project, which enables land tenure security for thousands of cocoa farmers, through an innovative public-private partnership.”

BAMBA Cheick Daniel
General Director of the Ivorian Rural Land Agency (Agence Foncière Rurale - AFOR)

Ensured sustained and sustainable cocoa production

Accelerating land tenure documentation in cocoa-growing regions is key to ensuring sustained and sustainable cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire, benefiting farmers, the Ivorian government and the cocoa sector. These first documents are just the beginning of the work of CLAP in Côte d'Ivoire, where a larger implementation of more than 9,000 land tenure documents for cocoa farmers started with the CLAP-ProPFR Early Scale Project in 2021 and will end in 2023.