Alemania - Servicios de asistencia técnica - 10019362-Apoyo a la adaptación de la cadena de suministro de cacao en Côte d'Ivoire a los desafíos de sostenibilidad

PRO PLANTEURS III builds on two previous five year phases (2015-2020, 2020-2025) that professionalized cocoa cooperatives and improved production systems in Côte d'Ivoire. To date, 47 cooperatives have strengthened management and services, helping raise average yields and farm incomes by about 30% among some 15,000 farms. Jointly with companies from the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) the project created seven village forest protection committees and 58 savings-groups and established 40 child-labor monitoring committees. Since 2024, 80 women have been implementing child labor prevention measures. Launched in 2025, the third phase is part of the Program entitled "Protection, Restoration and Sustainable Management of Forests and Biodiversity as Natural Life Support Systems in Côte d'Ivoire." The project is integrated into the program's landscape approach, balancing economic and ecological objectives. By promoting sustainable production practices, it helps curb the continued destruction of forest landscapes caused by cocoa cultivation and contributes to the program's overall aim of conserving biodiversity and forest landscapes. The project's objective is to adapt the cocoa supply chain in regions around the Bossématié reserve to economic, regulatory, environmental and social challenges. It emphasizes sustainable production aligned with the ARS 1000 standard and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and control of the cocoa swollen shoot virus. Interventions aim to curb deforestation and increase farm resilience through diversification and yield improvements. Financing is provided by BMZ with co- financing from GISCO; parallel funding from the German Ministry of Agriculture (BMLEH) supports knowledge exchange. The national partner, the Conseil Café Cacao (CCC), contributes in kind and financially. The target group comprises 8,000 smallholder cocoa farms and their families and 12 cooperatives. Many farms face ageing orchards, high swollen shoot prevalence, inefficient practices and low productivity (~350 kg/ha), resulting in incomes far below a living income-particularly for women due to limited access to land, inputs, labor and decision making. Less than 20% of cooperatives are effective and transparent; services are narrow, networks are weak and bargaining power with buyers is limited. The project is organized in four components: 1. Good agricultural practices and agroforestry to raise yields/incomes and expand agroforestry areas in line with ARS 1000. 2. Demand oriented cooperative services to enable ARS 1000/EUDR compliance, prevent and control swollen shoot, and improve women's productivity. 3. Sustainable supply chain models that strengthen cooperative-buyer relationships (fair remuneration, timely payments, longer terms) and use incentives for environmental services and agroforestry. 4. Evidence based dialogue and knowledge exchange among supply chain actors, including an independent PRO PLANTEURS digital platform to disseminate lessons and support integration into policies, training and strategies. Geographic focus: Indénié Djuablin, La Mé and Sud Comoé regions. Under this assignment, the contractor will deliver technical assistance to the PRO-PLANTEURS project to adapt Côte d'Ivoire's cocoa supply chain to economic, regulatory, environmental and social sustainability challenges, assuming responsibility for defined outputs, indicators and milestones. The contractor will establish and manage an expert team, ensure quality assurance and backstopping, administer finances and reporting, contribute inputs for BMZ/MINADER reports as required, and comply with data protection obligations when processing personal data. Under Output 1, the contractor will enable cocoa producers to implement good agricultural practices (GAP) and agroforestry in line with ARS 1000. This includes designing ten agroforestry models for cocoa based on nationally compatible species lists and research, complemented by socio economic and financial analyses; sensitizing 6,000 producers (at least 30% women) on agroforestry; and advising farms to reach at least 5,000 ARS 1000 compliant agroforestry plots. The contractor will train 6,000 producers (?30% women) through Farmer Field Schools on GAP aligned with ARS 1000 and support implementation of individual Cocoa Farm Development Plans (PDCs). In cooperation with cooperatives, the contractor will assist internal inspections and corrective actions to bring 6,000 farms into ARS 1000 compliance. Milestones include submission of ten model packages with analyses within nine months, agroforestry sensitization within 12 months, completion of producer trainings by month nine, PDC support by month 12, and internal inspection support by month 15. The contractor contributes to targets such as 5,000 farms maintaining trees per ARS 1000 and at least 500 women managed farms applying GAP. Under Output 2, the contractor will strengthen cooperative service provision for sustainable, economically viable production. It will test, together with CNRA, harmonized Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana protocols for early detection, monitoring and prevention of cocoa swollen shoot virus via demonstration plots, train staff from 12 cooperatives, CCC delegations and ANADER on these protocols, and support member sensitization. The contractor will establish and professionalize cooperative service units by training teams in agricultural operations (e.g. pruning, weeding), phytosanitary and fertilizer application, tree planting for agroforestry, and eradication of infected trees; and train and coach managers in financial management and governance. It will support digitalization of cooperative operations and accompany internal audits and corrective actions towards ARS 1000 certification in 12 cooperatives. Milestones include completion of protocol testing within nine months, completed trainings by month 12 and continuous sensitization; service team training by month six, business models by month nine, management training by month 12 and coaching by month 15. The contractor contributes to each cooperative implementing two swollen shoot measures and four priority ARS 1000/EUDR measures. Under Output 3, the contractor will reinforce sustainable procurement between cooperatives and buyers by training 12 cooperatives on legal aspects of buyer contracts linked to new sustainable models and providing advisory and coaching for implementation. Support will cover fair remuneration, timely payments, longer contract terms, and incentives for environmental services and agroforestry, including facilitation to prevent or resolve disputes. Milestones include completing training within six months and providing ongoing advisory through contract end. The contractor contributes to four sustainable procurement models being implemented and evaluated by March 2027. Under Output 4, the contractor will strengthen evidence based dialogue among supply chain actors by establishing an independent, project agnostic PRO PLANTEURS digital platform anchored in a selected partner institution. It will provide organizational support for platform management, train dedicated staff, and help develop a strategic plan (including visual identity and communication plan) and a 2028-2030 action plan. Organizational support is due within 12 months, with strategic support continuing to contract end; one independent platform is to be operational by February 2028. Across all outputs, the contractor must mainstream gender equality (ensuring women's participation and targeted support to women managed farms), environment and climate action (deforestation free cocoa, agroforestry expansion, climate smart practices, biodiversity monitoring, water saving technologies, livelihood diversification), conflict/context sensitivity and human rights ("do no harm", grievance mechanisms, inclusive participation). Knowledge management and scaling will be ensured through systematic documentation, contributions to technical exchanges and GIZ networks, and dissemination via the digital platform and dialogue events. Implementation will adhere to predefined expert deployment, travel with CO2 minimising choices and compensation, fixed budgets for materials and workshops, and use of provided offices and logistics, with full cost control and compliance with GIZ rules.