Sustainable cocoa farming improves farmers’ livelihoods in Viet Nam
A German–Vietnamese project helps cocoa farmers earn more, use less water, and protect the environment.
In Viet Nam’s Central Highlands, hundreds of small cocoa farmers are working on how to grow their crops in a way that protects both their income and the environment. The Regenerative Cocoa Production (ReCoPro) project, led by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Puratos Grand-Place Viet Nam, set out to show that sustainable cocoa can benefit farmers, nature, and the climate alike.
Since the project began in 2021, farmers have received around 90,000 young cocoa and shade trees and practical advice on how to plant and care for them. Over 2,000 people have taken part in 88 workshops and field trainings, where they learned new techniques such as composting, efficient drip irrigation, and planting fruit and forest trees together with cocoa. These changes help cocoa trees grow better, even under changing weather conditions.
The results are clear: farms that applied the new methods have increased their cocoa harvests by about 50 percent and reduced their water use by up to one-third. This means higher incomes and more stable harvests, while protecting soils and biodiversity.
To make climate action pay off, the project also tested a carbon bonus system, rewarding farmers with 3,000–4,000 Vietnamese Dong (around 10–15 euro cents) per tree that helps store carbon. Women played an active role in trainings and cooperatives, improving both their household income and leadership in the community.
ReCoPro is part of the develoPPP programme, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It shows how international cooperation and local know-how can work hand in hand to make cocoa farming in Viet Nam more sustainable and climate-friendly for the future.