Deploying sustainable agroforestry practices in cocoa plantations including shading trees planting, intercropping, application of rescue irrigation (micro irrigation)” in Soubre and Vavoua, Cote d’Ivoire

The African Development Bank is pleased to announce the publication of the Activity Description Document (ADD) for the activity “Deploying sustainable agroforestry practices in cocoa plantations including shading trees planting, intercropping, application of rescue irrigation (micro irrigation)” in Soubre and Vavoua, Cote d’Ivoire.

The activity applies the approved Adaptation Benefits Mechanism (ABM) methodology ABM-NM003: Sustainable Agroforestry for enhancing the resilience of smallholder cocoa farmers against drought, rising temperature and heat waves (ABM Methodology Cocoa Resilience). In this case, 1 Certified Adaptation Benefit (CAB) equals 1 hectare of Cocoa plantation under Sustainable and Climate-Resilient practices (SCR). 

The document remains open for comments by international stakeholders for 30 calendar days until the 7th of August, 2026. Stakeholders are invited to review the published activity description document. Please post all comments and questions directly under this topic before the consultation deadline.

These stakeholder consultations are conducted as part of an independent validation process, a step in the ABM activity cycle, preceding approval, and registration under the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism (ABM). The ABM is the first UNFCCC-recorded cooperative non-market approach under the framework for non-market approaches (Article 6.8) of the Paris Agreement.

Additional information on the activity for potential investors: 

The incremental costs of 1 CAB generated by this activity are three thousand two hundred fourteen US dollars and fifty cent (USD 3,214.50). The targeted implementation area is 3,000 ha. About 3,000 smallholder cocoa farmers are expected to benefit from the project. This information can be used for transparency under the Paris Agreement or other reporting, such as on making the cocoa supply chain resilient to the key climate hazards that affect it. 

A portion of the CABs are expected to be issued by the end of 2026 and can be purchased ex-post, the rest of the CABs are available for potential investors ex-ante. The revenues from the purchase of CABs will be used to replicate the activity in the full target area, as well as in other, already pre-identified, locations in Cote d'Ivoire and other cocoa growing countries in the West-African region, including in Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. The project owner is the Ivorian Interprofessional Fund for Agricultural Research (FIRCA). The ABM methodology developer and implementing organization of this ABM activity is the International Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Potential investors can contact the ABM secretariat for more information.

Video about the activity:
https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/multimedia/video/climate-smart-cocoa-farming-cote-divoire-95169