Sunbeth Farmers Group Ikom, a subsidiary of Sunbeth Global Concepts operating in Grassfield, Border Road, Ikom, Cross Rivers State, has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance. This certification indicates that the group has fulfilled all the strict requirements of the Rainforest Alliance and is a testament to SGCL’s commitment to promoting sustainability in the cocoa value chain.
The Rainforest Alliance Certification program prioritizes and promotes sustainability in supply chains. The organization seeks to ensure that cocoa production and all related activities improve the livelihood of the farmer, prioritise their human rights and do not jeopardize or harm forests, climate, and the livelihoods of people.
It’s worth noting that this achievement didn’t come on a platter. The Sunbeth Farmer’s Group engaged in a series of activities to fulfill the requirements for the certification. These activities are in 4 major categories.
Rural Women Empowerment
Women Empowerment Program For Group Members
The farmers’ group organized training and empowerment programs for women within the group. These empowerment programs were intended to help the beneficiaries develop skills in vocational practices like soap making, bead designs, and other crafts.
These initiatives will help the participants diversify their income channels, reducing their reliance on cocoa farming. Essentially, they get to improve their standards of living and earn additional revenue outside of the farm.
Sustainable and Regenerative Farming Activities
A Cocoa Nursery
The farmer’s group has also implemented several regenerative farming methods, demonstrating its genuine interest in seeing the Nigerian cocoa value chain thrive and improve.
The group has established approximately 50,000 cocoa seedling nurseries in each region. These nurseries will serve all existing group members, supplying them with healthy, quality seedlings to rejuvenate their cocoa farms and increase their production.
Similarly, the group also developed approximately 15,000 shade trees seedling nurseries in each region. These will be transplanted on deforested land and utilized in combating deforestation and the resultant climate change.
Child and Forced Labour Eradication Initiatives
Sunbeth’s Child Labour Awareness Initiative
The Sunbeth Farmer’s Group is also particular about protecting children’s rights and eradicating all forms of child labor, especially in cocoa farming and other related activities. To this end, the group organized the Protective Child Index (PCI) for child labour monitoring and remediation systems (CLMRS) in her cocoa producing communities.
EUDR and Traceability
The Sunbeth Farmer’s Group has also engaged in a series of activities to enable the company to meet the EUDR requirement and ensure total compliance with traceability regulations. The group is currently working with SGCL’s traceability team to map all the members’ farms and obtain the coordinates of other cocoa-production sites in the area
Sunbeth Global Concepts Commitments
Rainforest Alliance
Sunbeth Farmer’s Group RA Certification underscores the company’s commitment, summarized below.
- Sunbeth is committed to improving the livelihood of cocoa producers and their families by providing clean water sources in communities, developing educational infrastructures, exposing women to capacity development to diversify their income sources, and encouraging farmers to make use of village saving loans rather than conventional banking systems.
- Sunbeth is committed to preserving the environment and reversing the negatives of cocoa farming on the ecosystem. To that end, it continually invests efforts and resources into training cocoa farmers on the safe use of agrochemicals and the protection of the biodiversity of their immediate ecosystem
- Sunbeth is also committed to eradicating child labour problems in the agricultural value chain and ensuring every child receives proper education from the grassroots.
- Sunbeth is also committed to increasing the productivity of the farmers through vigorous training on “integrated pest management” and the use of organic fertilizers on their farms.
The Sunbeth Farmer’s Group – Ikom, Cross River currently has 2,314 certified farmer members operating on approximately 9,910.4Ha of certified cocoa farmland. Having 2000+ sustainability-conscious farmers operating in the value chain will contribute significantly to Sunbeth’s effort in promoting sustainable cocoa production in Nigeria.
