Côte d'Ivoire Agriculture

Against a backdrop of increasingly severe and financially straining climate events and natural disasters, technology is poised to play an important role in maintaining and improving global agricultural output. The adoption of digital and precision farming practices has been shown to improve crop resiliency, and boost productivity and incomes,...

Historically, agriculture has been the central driver of development since the nation gained independence in 1960. The country has an abundance of natural resources, and its fertile lands and favourable climate have allowed it to position itself as a key producer and exporter of some of the world’s premier soft commodities, ensuring a crucial...

A $200m loan from the World Bank is set to improve the efficiency and profitability of Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew industry, while the government is stepping up efforts to tackle the illegal smuggling of crops.

Beyond raw materials export, local processing is the key goal of the national authorities, with a target of having 50% of produce processed in-country by 2020. However, there are a number of challenges hindering the achievement of this goal.

While having a central role in the Ivorian economy – accounting for 25% of the country’s GDP and 60% of its exports – agricultural expansion over the medium term remains limited by the ineffectual allocation of agriculture land plots. Disagreements between growers and herders regularly leads to violent localised conflicts. Furthermore, the...

On average, Côte d’Ivoire produces 40% of the total global cocoa crop each year, and the industry employs roughly 800,000 mostly small-scale farmers, making it an essential source of income for the national economy.