This report evaluates the impact of the Accelerator after 3.5 years of implementation among test-at-scale households in Côte d’Ivoire. To robustly estimate the Accelerator’s progress from 2022 to 2025, four waves of survey data from 1,970 households across 28 cooperatives (all Nestlé Cocoa Plan (NCP) and Rainforest Alliance (RA) certified) were used. To estimate the Accelerator’s impact relative to other sustainability initiatives offered within the NCP, Accelerator households are compared with similar households. This approach, called a matched difference-in-differences, allows the effects of the Accelerator to be isolated over time.

This report assesses the sustained impact of the interventions across a range of indicators (cocoa farm practices and productivity, household cocoa and non-cocoa income, resilience, and well-being) over the past 3.5 years. In parallel, it identifies the areas where the Accelerator has faced challenges in achieving its ambition to close the LI gap for cocoa-farming households.

Key findings

• The sustained adoption of good agricultural practices (including high-quality pruning) is improving cocoa farms’ health and driving higher investment levels (more labor and input use)
• The Accelerator boosts cocoa productivity under favorable agro-climatic conditions while helping households mitigate production losses during adverse seasons
• Progress toward a LI is being driven by strong gains in both cocoa and non-cocoa income, but non-cocoa earnings remain lower among Accelerator households
• The Accelerator continues to deliver strong impacts on women’s empowerment levels (higher financial inclusion, participation in decision-making, and shift in community norms) while improving household resilience and well-being (food security, investment in productive assets)

Looking ahead

That said, the report is candid about where momentum has slowed. A heavier focus on cocoa leaves less room for income diversification, particularly for women, and uptake of some program components has leveled off. These areas will be the subject of comprehensive studies conducted by the KIT Institute over the next 12 months, combining existing quantitative household data with in-depth qualitative interviews to identify success factors and barriers. The findings will be used to sharpen the program’s design going forward and enhance the impact for long-term participants.