SPIRAL: Building Sustainable Partnerships for the Implementation of Responsible Investments in Agricultural La

General

WHH has teamed up with a private sector partner to implement a responsible model for large-scale agri-investments in land which benefits smallholders, rural host communities, land owners and investors alike. The model is called the Cocoa Production Cluster (CPC). A CPC is a plantation of 100 hectares which consists of several adjacent management units of at least 10 hectares. Typically, a CPC is established on private land which has been leased for 30 years. In contrary to other large-scale lease arrangements the lease is acquired in a fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, and inclusive process. The company will sell the cocoa produced on the CPC to international buyers and share the revenue with farmers and land owners. This model has clear advantages for all stakeholders: The company secures its supply of cocoa, the land owners get a fair share of the generated revenue on top of their lease, and the farmers obtain land tenure rights while earning a fair income from their cocoa.

Objectives

The adoption of the CPC-model's core economic, social and environmental (governance) standards by investors, communities, government and other stakeholders results in a more inclusive growth of the agri-business sector, reduced poverty and fewer land-use conflicts in Sierra Leone.

Target Groups

The SPIRAL-Project reaches between 600 and 900 direct Beneficiaries. These Beneficiaries are selected community members who are being supported in securing long-term tenure rights to a cocoa production area (the Small-Scale Farming Division or “SSFD”) and benefit from the implementation of an innovative agricultural investment-model in land (the Cocoa Production Cluster or “CPC”) which provides work and income.