The African Development Bank (AfDB) will work with the International Agroforestry Agency (ICRAF) to implement the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism (ABM). It will support small-scale cocoa farmers affected by climate change in the localities of Soubré and Vavoua in Ivory Coast. Both partners will focus on agroforestry.
The Adaptation Benefit Mechanism (ABM), which the African Development Bank (AfDB) is activating for the smallholder cocoa farmers of Soubré and Vavoua, was launched for a period from 2019 to 2023 to accelerate the transformation of host countries towards a more sustainable, low-carbon and climate resilient development.
In Soubré and Vavoua, Ivory Coast, the AfDB will implement its mechanism with the support of the International Agency for Agroforestry (ICRAF). Small-scale farmers in these two localities in the west of Ivory Coast are heavily affected by the climate disruption responsible for the drop in yields. The situation has worsened with Covid-19, pushing farmers into precarious conditions.
Focusing on agroforestry
Faced with this situation, the AfDB and ICRAF are proposing agroforestry. “Our experience has shown that agroforestry practices, knowledge and skills transfer enhance the sustainability of cocoa plantations and improve the resilience of smallholder farming communities, especially women and youth,” says Christophe Kouame, ICRAF’s director for West and Central Africa. The agency will pilot the AfDB’s ABM with two other partners, including Mars Confectionaries and Rainforest Alliance.
The mechanism will benefit 800,000 small farmers in the localities of Soubré and Vavoua. These cocoa farmers will receive support for sustainable agroforestry and resilience to climate change throughout 2021. The AfDB will build on the results of these projects to intervene in other cocoa growing communities in Ivory Coast and in at least three other cocoa producing countries in the West African sub-region.
A support of 50 million dollars
The AfDB wants to mobilise 50 million dollars by 2023 to pilot the ABM and make it operational for global use. “Under the ABM, developers of adaptation projects can sign agreements with various public, private and non-profit actors for payments upon delivery of certified adaptation benefits and use these agreements as collateral to raise equity and funds. This additional source of revenue will make adaptation projects that would not otherwise be implemented feasible,” says the pan-African financial institution based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Jean Marie Takouleu
