Written by Natan Yao
After a period of relative calm, the Progreso Côte d’Ivoire division has seen a resurgence of activity in recent weeks, spanning agroforestry, income diversification, and a new technical assistance partnership.
Zaranou: progress and lessons in agroforestry transition
At a time when climate challenges and the sustainability of agricultural value chains sit at the heart of our priorities, the project in Zaranou, run with CAADI and CAMAYE, focuses on reforestation and cocoa regeneration as a way of restoring ecosystems and strengthening producers’ resilience. Following its initial implementation phase, the picture is mixed but rich in lessons.
Cocoa regeneration has gone well. Plots have received regular, rigorous maintenance, pruned cocoa trees and young seedlings and banana trees are growing strongly, and plant health is well managed, laying a solid foundation for a gradual return to production.
Reforestation has proven harder. The phase developed 4 hectares with four pioneer producers, against an initial target of 10, and ran into real constraints: schedule delays from funding gaps and unpredictable weather, and a seedling survival rate of only around 30 percent, driven mainly by difficult access to certain plots and a lack of post-planting maintenance, particularly for species like petit cola.
Based on these findings, Progreso Côte d’Ivoire and its partners are strengthening the monitoring framework between June and September, with three priorities: rehabilitating and expanding the area, by replacing dead seedlings across the existing 4 hectares and securing 6 new ones to reach the 10-hectare goal; stepping up on-the-ground support, through monthly and quarterly monitoring reports and greater producer accountability for plot maintenance; and improving performance and diversification, targeting a survival rate above 70 percent, introducing suitable forest and fruit tree species, and continuing phytosanitary care for cocoa regeneration.
From beans to mushrooms: diversifying income in Ouassakro
Faced with climate uncertainty and fluctuating cocoa prices, relying on a single crop is no longer enough to secure the resilience of rural communities. With that in mind, Progreso and the SCAOD-SCOOPS cooperative took a decisive step forward in Ouassakro, in the Diégonéfla department, where a large-scale training and technical support mission ran from July 27 to 31. The goal: turn mushroom cultivation into a real driver of financial empowerment alongside cocoa.
Mushroom cultivation complements cocoa well. Where cocoa is highly seasonal with widely spaced harvests, mushrooms offer a regular, fast-turnaround income stream, and one that creates direct ecological synergy with cocoa farming: cocoa husks, once discarded or left to rot, are reused as a rich growing substrate, turning agricultural waste into a resource that creates value.
The results were concrete. More than 65 producers were trained across five localities (Ouassakro, Kongokro, N’zuekro, Tiégba, and Bronda), producing over 250 bags of growing medium using three formulations built on local residues, including cocoa husks, rice straw, corn cobs, and rice bran. Producers gained full command of the production cycle, from substrate preparation and pasteurization through seeding, incubation, harvesting, and packaging.
Beyond the technical results, the initiative lays the groundwork for scaling up the Ouassakro mushroom farm. By generating alternative income year-round, farming families strengthen their food security and financial stability. Next steps include setting up three Village Savings and Credit Associations to organize community savings and sustain the activity long-term, alongside a rigorous technical monitoring plan carried out by trainers and farmer inspectors.
A new two-year technical assistance agreement
With the previous round of technical assistance having ended in March 2026, Progreso remained in ongoing discussions with its long-standing partner, Rabobank Foundation, exchanges that continued both in person at the CHOCOA conference in Amsterdam and online. Those conversations led to a new agreement, signed on July 22, to resume technical assistance for six cooperatives in the cocoa sector.
Alongside traditional activities such as improving governance, strengthening the quality of financial data, and developing business plans to secure financing, the program will also focus on income diversification and financial education. The team is preparing to begin work with all six cooperatives in August 2026, starting with data collection for the baseline study.
