Year of publication
2025
Location
Côte d’Ivoire (national programme; cocoa and coffee basins)
Financial supporter:
National budgetary allocations and sector levies, programme and donor support to traceability and payment digitization (to confirm specific amounts and instruments)
Period of implementation:
Census 2019–2020; system design and testing 2022–2024; national roll‑out 2024 onward
Commodities:
Cocoa and coffee
Initiator:
Government of Côte d’Ivoire via the Coffee-Cocoa Council (Conseil du Café-Cacao)
Author & Publisher
FACT DIALOGUE
Overview
This case study follows the end-to-end backbone from producer registration to sealed-bag traceability and digitized first-purchase payments, showing how proof of origin connects to guaranteed farm-gate payment and compliance under the Système National de Traçabilité du Café-Cacao system.
This model reduces information asymmetry and builds trust in the value chain: farmers get reliable payments and buyers can verify origin, which is critical for deforestation-risk commodities. On the flip side, implementing such a system nationally requires strong institutional capacity, data infrastructure and incentives for all players to participate; ensuring smallholder inclusion and preventing system exclusion are key challenges.
~1,000,000
producers registered
Through the national producer register (census 2019–2020)
Hundreds
of cooperatives engaged
Tested and rolled out with licensed buyers and exporters
2
supporting frameworks
Système national de traçabilité du Café-Cacao + digitized payment at first purchase point
3
FACT pillars advanced
Trade and Market Development | Smallholder Support | Traceability and Transparency
1
years of implementation
System design and testing 2022–2024; national roll-out 2024 onward
In practice: Mapping data into actionable support
Côte d’Ivoire captures farmer identity, plot geolocation and bag movements for registered producers. Through smart-card payments, bag-level tracking and cooperative coordination, this data is converted into targeted support: guaranteed farmgate payments, advisory services and verifiable compliance for buyers.
Coordination with the Coffee-Cocoa Council, cooperatives, regional offices and licensed exporters ensures that traceability and payment systems are feasible for smallholders while meeting ISPO and EU deforestation-free requirements. By tying data to tangible outputs, the system moves from mapping to measurable improvements in market access and income security.
Why this matters
Côte d’Ivoire’s national system demonstrates how a country can professionalize cocoa and coffee marketing while meeting international due diligence requirements. By combining registration, geolocation, smart-card payments and aligned protocols with cooperatives and exporters, it strengthens traceability, safeguards smallholder income, and reduces leakage and market inefficiencies.
This integrated approach mirrors the logic of the FACT Roadmap: mapping unlocks benefits, service delivery improves farmer outcomes, and alignment with standards ensures verifiable, sustainable trade. If Côte d’Ivoire maintains coordination, data quality and timely payments, it offers a practical model for other countries seeking to integrate smallholder support with environmental compliance.
