Understanding the Income-Child Labour Nexus in Agricultural Commodity Sectors
- Countries
- Sub-Saharan Africa (West and East Africa – cocoa, coffee and cashew producing regions)
- Status
- Completed
- Duration
- November 2024 – July 2025
Child labour remains widespread in agricultural commodities. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where much of the world’s cocoa, coffee and cashew is produced, the number of children in child labour rose from 70 million in 2016 to 87 million in 2024. At the same time, cocoa, coffee and cashew farming families from West and East Africa earn less than half of a living income – the income needed for a decent standard of living.
Companies have invested in programmes to raise incomes and reduce child labour, but income increases alone do not automatically lower child labour. In some cases, child labour even rises as incomes grow. Effective programmes therefore must address the complex link (or nexus) between income, labour, and gender dynamics to simultaneously reduce living income gaps and reduce child labour.
This KIT research unpacks the relationship between household income and child labour and identifies and maps evidence for high-potential approaches for simultaneously addressing poverty and child labour. The ultimate objective is to support brands, traders, and implementing organisations in the cocoa, coffee, and cashew sectors to strengthen their income and child labour strategies.
Results
The research produced comprehensive findings delivered through two key outputs: a full report with in-depth analyses of the income-child labour relationship, and a policy brief with main learnings and practical guidance for companies. These resources provide actionable insights for designing programmes that effectively address the complex links between income, labour, and gender dynamics, enabling more targeted interventions that can reduce both living income gaps and child labour simultaneously.
Support
This project was funded by SPVO as part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and in commission of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It benefitted from expert guidance by an Advisory Committee with key experts in child labour, living income, and the cocoa, coffee, and cashew sectors from International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), Voice Network, Global March Against Child Labour and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH).
