This study, commissioned by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as part of its effort to support the cocoa sector in Sierra Leone, compute two important  indicators: the Living Income Benchmark (LIB) for the cocoa-growing areas located in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone and the Living Income Reference Price (LIRP) for the cocoa sector. 

To bridge the data gap on identified secondary data sources and compute the necessary key parameters for estimating these indicators, the research draws on extensive field research across fifteen chiefdoms in the districts of Kailahun, Kenema, and Kono. The approach used to compute the Living Income Benchmark aligns with the developed criteria developed for the LICOP and that can be found here: Guidance on Criteria for LILW methodologies. The construction of the Living Income Reference Price follows the guidelines developed by Fairtrade International.

In addition to quantitative and qualitative fieldwork, the research team also engaged various stakeholders from the public and private sectors in national roundtables to gather their feedback on the methodology, preliminary figures of the LIB and LIRP and further refine the results to foster their future use of the findings.