Cocoa farmers play a vital role in snack and bakery production because all the chocolate in the world comes from the beans that they grow. However, despite the importance of their work, these farmers have not always been treated or compensated adequately for their work, leaving them living at or below poverty levels and dealing unassisted with rough weather, insects attacking their crops, political upheaval, and other challenges threatening their livelihood.
In recent years, industry players like Cargill have launched efforts to help elevate cocoa farmers. In 2012, the supplier launched the Cargill Cocoa Promise, a program to help cocoa farmers and the communities they operate in grow cocoa more sustainably and to reach better living standards. Since its founding more than a decade ago, the program reportedly has helped about 250,000 farmers, touched six different cocoa-producing countries, and kicked off more than 100 collaborative projects intended to address the myriad environmental, social, and economic challenges cocoa producers face.