The Cocoa Household Income Study (CHIS) is a sector-wide initiative providing a harmonised methodology for monitoring and assessing living income in the cocoa sector. Published in 2024, the CHIS Methodology offers guidance for collecting representative and comparable household income data across all cocoa-producing households.

Since its publication, the CHIS approach has been adopted across the cocoa sector by consortia of cocoa and chocolate companies, public organisations, civil society organisations (CSOs) and research partners. This Learning Brief presents key takeaways from five recent studies conducted in Côte d’Ivoire between 2024 and 2025 and provides guidance for conducting living income assessments using CHIS.

• Full adoption strengthens decision value: Applying the recommended CHIS approach improves the reliability, comparability, and usefulness of living income data.
• Inclusive and robust implementation matters: Design choices related to sampling, measurement, and data quality materially influence study conclusions.
• Inclusion can materially change conclusions: Evidence from the indirect supply chain in Côte d’Ivoire challenges common assumptions and highlights the importance of more effective and inclusive study designs..
• Use CHIS to move from measurement to impact: Closing the living income gap requires evidence on which interventions effectively raise incomes.
• Sector-wide learning is essential: Sharing of results and better coordination of research priorities can accelerate progress toward closing the living income gap.