ICI, with support from The Hershey Company, is implementing a project aimed at developing and testing innovative and effective strategies to address children's exposure to pesticides in cocoa-producing areas in Côte d'Ivoire. This project includes several initiatives, such as research to better understand the challenges, community awareness-raising activities, and a recent workshop focused on "Better Protecting Children from the Risks of Pesticides".
This workshop, held in Yamoussoukro from September 11 to 12, brought together participants involved in the fight against child labour, as well as specialists in environmental health and agriculture. This event was an opportunity to share experiences, enhance understanding of the risks posed by pesticides in children's daily lives, raise awareness of the scope of the issue, and identify potential ways forward.
"Although pesticides help to protect plants such as cocoa, it is important to take all necessary measures to protect children from the dangers of these products. This must be a collective effort, involving all stakeholders in the agricultural sector, the government and civil society."
Ouffouet Raïssa, Deputy Director in charge of legislation at the Directorate for the fight against child labour. Participant at the workshop held in Yammoussoukro. Listen to other testimonies in this video.
Over the last decade, the use of pesticides in cocoa farming in Côte d'Ivoire has increased, leading to a corresponding rise in children's exposure, becoming a significant issue in the sector. According to a study by NORC (2020), the proportion of children exposed to pesticides in cocoa-producing areas in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire went from 5% to 24% between the 2008/09 and 2018/19 periods.
“There were some very interesting and constructive contributions at the workshop, which give us confidence that in the future there will certainly be a reversal of the trend we have seen in recent years.”
Bah Boni, Deputy Director of Crop Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture. Participant at the Yamoussoukro workshop. Listen to other testimonies in this video.
As part of the project, ICI conducted research to better understand the level of awareness regarding pesticide-related health risks among cocoa farmers, their families, and pesticide spraying service providers. The findings revealed that, while there was a reasonable level of knowledge about the vulnerability of children to pesticide risks, farmers often did not put this knowledge into practice. Additionally, women have far less access to training on the responsible use of pesticides, resulting in children's exposure not only during spraying but also in the home, when buying and storing the products, cleaning spraying equipment, or when treated land is close to their residence.
To address these issues, ICI has developed and tested two initiatives in ten communities. These initiatives include training sessions on the health risks associated with pesticides for members of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), targeting women, who often make up the majority of these groups, and for the Community Service Groups (CSGs). These groups are made up of trained and equipped adults who provide agricultural services at an affordable rate. By training CSG members, ICI aims to empower each group member to become an "ambassador" for protecting children from pesticide exposure. These training activities were developed and implemented in close collaboration with ANADER (Agence Nationale d'Appui au Développement Rural) and Participatory Development Associates, a Ghanaian organization specializing in participatory methodologies for community development projects.
" We suggested that the first step should be to raise awareness. If parents, who are children's first contacts, are not made aware of the need to protect them, children will always be the victims of bad behaviour.”
Traoré Brahima, Representative of CropLife Africa and the Middle East, participating in the workshop held in Yamoussoukro. Listen to other testimonies in this video.
The goal of this pilot project is to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities, make necessary adjustments for improvement, and explore how the approach can be expanded to reach more communities in the future.