This study examines two cocoa supply chains in Ecuador and Uganda to assess whether cocoa is produced under gender-equitable conditions. The results show that women in Uganda were highly involved in cocoa production on both male and female-managed farms, but their decision-making power was limited to female-managed farms. In Ecuador, women were moderately engaged in decision-making yet participated less in cocoa production. The analyses for both cases showed substantial differences in annual cocoa revenues of farms managed by women compared to those managed by men.
These findings can help design interventions for more gender-equitable rural development that address the complexity of disadvantages in the local context. Offering gender-specific training within private programs and promoting women's access to credit by the public sector represent first steps towards gender equality.
