Cocoa production relies on a diverse group of individuals beyond registered landowners, including spouses, adult children, tenants, and sharecroppers, who play crucial roles yet often remain invisible to the sector. Current approaches primarily focus on registered farmers, excluding many contributors from services, research, and sustainability programs. As a result, women, unregistered farmers, and other essential laborers are frequently overlooked in data collection and decision-making efforts.

This policy brief presents a structured, interlinked set of recommendations for companies, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers.

This comprehensive report provides a detailed analysis of:

• Why these contributors are overlooked.
• The structural barriers that keep them excluded.
• Practical steps the sector can take to close this gap and build a more inclusive supply chain

This infographic visualizes the cocoa divide explored in both the report and policy brief: