Loukou Konan Raphaël, known in the village of Kouakoukro as Raphaël, is a cocoa producer. He owns a few acres of land on the edge of the village where he has planted cocoa trees. Kouakoukro is a small village near Soubré, in the West of Côte d’Ivoire. The region is the epicentre of cocoa bean production in the country. In some villages, like in Kouakoukro, upwards of 85% of inhabitants are dependent on cocoa production for their livelihoods.

“Children are the future of our country; their place is at school.” – N’zi Kouassi (Village Chief of Kouakoukro)

As part of the Work: No Child’s Business program, UNICEF and ANADEE started a champs école, a field school, in 2021. The idea behind the school is for cocoa producers in the village to cooperatively test and learn about new agricultural techniques to improve the health of the cocoa trees and increase the harvest. The parcels where they conduct the school are donated by one of the village’s producers, allowing their neighbours and fellow producers to grow their production together.

ANADEE takes groups of producers out to the cocoa plantations, having each group work on different parts of the plantation. The groups work on techniques like how to clear brush to create better sun conditions, improving soil quality, and learning about the effect of biodiversity on tree health.

Normally, ANADEE runs field schools for 6 months. In Kouakoukro, the field school continues, allowing ANADEE and the producers to monitor the effects of their experiments, compare results, and continue learning and adapting.

Raphaël says that the benefits from the school have been enormous. By testing out different ways of working, he’s been able to harvest more cocoa. He manages his plantation better, treating his trees with care and ensuring that they produce more and last longer. Raphaël is also learning how to protect his plantation from swollen shoot, the tree disease that has been a scourge for cocoa producers across the region. With healthier trees and more produce, he’s earning more money and is less worried about the future.

The same goes for other producers in the village, meaning that they’re able to provide for their children: they can pay school fees, afford sufficient nutrition, and pay laborers to work in their fields. All this leads to children out of the plantations and into schools, helping open opportunities for their future.

And it’s not only reducing child labour and increasing prosperity for producers in the village – UNICEF and ANADEE’s efforts have also led to better relationships within the village. “Next to the field schools, we’ve also started to bring together everyone in the village every 2 or 3 days to share ideas and exchange experiences, for the village or for social projects. Now the community is together, women and men. We’ve improved the cohesion of the village.”