Anna Laven

In 2015, Nestlé launched a program focusing on the ‘better-off farmers’, called the Elite Farmer program. The ‘elite farmers’ were hand-picked from ordinary farmers in villages, based on a number of selection criteria, and intensively trained and coached. The aim was to empower elite farmers to unleash their potential, both in cocoa production and in […]

As part of its Cocoa for Generations (C4G) Strategy, Mars Wrigley aims to empower women in its supply chain, both socially and economically. To this end, Mars Wrigley engaged the KIT and Pabla van Heck (independent) to develop insight-driven recommendations for potential future investments to advance women’s empowerment. The outcome of this work will inform […]

As part of its Cocoa for Generations (C4G) strategy, Mars is seeking to address the barriers faced by women in their supply chain and communities from which they source cocoa to reach their full potential. Since 2019, Mars has partnered with KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Anna Laven and Pabla van Heck (independent consultants) to develop […]

Women play a powerful role in business, and research proves that unlocking opportunities for women bolsters communities, drives profitability and enhances value. Now more than ever, we need a greater focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 – Achieving Gender Equality & Empowering All Women and Girls, and a significant step-change in […]

Executive Summary This report presents the findings of an impact evaluation of the Lindt & Sprüngli (L&S) Farming Program in Ghana carried out by KIT Royal Tropical Institute in 2019. Based on quantitative and qualitative methods, the evaluation covered a variety of topics in line with the program’s Theory of Change. To track change over […]

The Living Income Community of Practice (LICoP) has identified the need for guidance to support researchers and practitioners in assessing the gap between actual farming household incomes and estimates of the Living Income Benchmark in a particular location The Living Income Benchmark is the net income required for a basic, but decent, standard of living. […]

Is market concentration among large cocoa firms responsible for the widespread poverty among cocoa farmers? Probably not. While market concentration has increased, particularly among cocoa processors, the report does not find evidence that this concentration is excessive or that market power is being abused to keep prices artificially low. Instead, there are two other key […]

KIT Royal Tropical Institute was commissioned by Solidaridad, in partnership with Marks & Spencer, to understand the unmet needs of cocoa growing communities in Ghana, ideate new SME service concepts and develop high-level business models. The study was to also provide Solidaridad with a roadmap to foster SME development. This is a summary of the […]

In June 2017, FAO, Twin and KIT organized a multi-stakeholder workshop on “Promoting Inclusive and Gender-Sensitive Producer Organizations and Agricultural Investments in Cocoa and Coffee Value Chains”. A range of actors from coffee and cocoa value chains came together to share experiences of their work in investing in gender-sensitive policies and activities and incorporating these […]

The integration of male and female smallholders in high-end value chains (e.g. those for tree crops like cocoa, oil palm, avocado, and mango), has been promoted throughout the global South as a strategy for poverty alleviation, economic growth, employment generation, gender equality, and improved wellbeing. More critical literature, however, questions the inclusiveness of farmers’ value […]

Working Paper Series 2015 – 2 Value chain development approaches seldom deliver large scale impact. Based on the examination of five cases where impact at scale was realised, recommendations are offered to increase the chances of value chain interventions contributing to impact at scale. More working paper series

The Living Income Community of Practice, co-hosted by GIZ, ISEAL and the Sustainable Food Lab and the GIZ Programme “Sustainable Supply Chains and Standards” are currently calculating ‘Living Income’ Benchmarks for the cocoa producing regions in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The Living Income Benchmark studies estimate the net income required for a decent standard of […]