Côte d'Ivoire: circular economy and regenerative agriculture
Côte d'Ivoire is a primarily agricultural country that abounds in opportunities for the circular economy and regenerative agriculture. The Dutch-Ivorian company LONO and foundation Beyond Beans, established locally, support it, in particular in the cocoa value chain.
The economy of Côte d’Ivoire, the world's leading producer of cocoa beans and cashew nuts, the fifth largest supplier of shea nuts and the seventh largest supplier of palm oil, is based on agriculture with, therefore, considerable potential in circular economy and regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture consists of avoiding mechanical disturbances of the soil to make way for natural cycles between two crops or two seasons, while the circular economy tends to produce in a sustainable way by limiting consumption and the use of resources, as well as production of waste.
In Côte d'Ivoire, two entities are particularly active in this promising segment of a more environmentally friendly agriculture: LONO and Beyond Beans. Both based locally and in the Netherlands, Beyond Beans ensures the sustainability of the supply of raw materials in the value chains of the world’s leading trader Export Trading Group (ETG), in particular cocoa. For its part, LONO, created in 2016, produces in Yamoussoukro compost, organic fertilizer and bioenergy from agricultural residues collected locally.
"The opportunities for sustainable and circular agriculture in Côte d'Ivoire are really numerous because the agricultural sector is huge and the outlets, both nationally, regionally and internationally, are very important", explains the Dutch Louise Bijleveld, co-founder of LONO with the Ivorian Noël N'guessan. “Furthermore, in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa, agriculture is already more sustainable in some ways because the use of pesticides is quite low compared to Asia or Latin America. »
The most important challenge, according to LONO’s manager, is whether the transition to a circular economy can be made profitable for producers. “We produce compost, but we cannot say that we will replace all chemical inputs with compost because our strategy is to offer a better business case to farmers, that will have a positive impact on their yields. » It is therefore necessary to be at the right price point because even if the compost is less expensive than chemical fertilizers, transport costs are more substantial due to larger volumes that need to be applied. However, an additional advantage of compost is the fact that its impact lasts longer and has a structural impact on the soil composition.
Agricultural waste is a real opportunity in a country like Côte d'Ivoire. “We work with agro-industries and on different types of by-products from cocoa, oil palm, but also bananas or chicken droppings and other manure to produce compost. We also make an effort to collect household waste or waste from smaller producers so that we can mix different types of materials from different types of suppliers,” explains Louise Bijleveld.
Beyond compost, mechanization….
Cocoa farmers are aware of it and the resulting benefits are multi-faceted. “We know that the decomposition of cocoa pods is a significant source of CO2 emissions in the cocoa production system. We strive to reduce these emissions by training farmers in improved composting methods,” says Mattia Guglielmi of Beyond Beans.
Beyond compost and fertilizers, growers can mechanize their production process. “We also distribute Kubeko composting machines to farmers. Kubeko machines, developed by LONO, reduce composting time by 60% and also reduce emissions compared to normal decomposition. »
“In September,” he says, “we are launching a project that will equip farmers with small ovens to pyrolyze cocoa pods and produce biochar. The process emits few greenhouse gases because it takes place in an almost closed environment. Mixed with compost, biochar has great potential as an agricultural input. »
…and derived products
Why throw away the pulp of cocoa pods when its taste is delicious and can provide a significant additional income? Beyond Beans answered this question by creating a cocoa juice production unit in the Daloa region. “With the cocoa juice project, we are exploring the possibilities of buying this juice and turning what was once waste into a source of income for farmers. This can increase the income per kilo of cocoa by around 15 to 30%”, continues Mattia Guglielmi who considers that the outlet will not only be on the Ivorian market but also in the whole of West Africa.
“Drinking cocoa juice helps reduce waste, diversify income and advance women's economic empowerment, and if that's not enough, it tastes amazingly fruity! It has a few notes of lychee, pear and lime and doesn't taste like chocolate at all,” he says enthusiastically.
A favorable multi-faceted context
The whole problem and the chances of success of circular economy projects and regenerative agriculture are not limited to agricultural products and their processing. “In our project, one of the most important elements was the co-financing of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. The Dutch government provided co-financing to build the Yamoussoukro production site, in partnership with the Autonomous District of Yamoussoukro,” explains Louise Bijleveld. “It was important because it de-risked the project, attracting other investors and partners. »
Furthermore, as circular economy is a relatively new concept, it took LONO quite some time and investment to find a good team, a "motivated staff, specialized in this field of sustainable waste valorization”. The collaboration with the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny was decisive, confides the business manager.
"The expertise of the Netherlands has also been very important, within the framework of several exchange programs", underlines Louise Bijleveld. “Technical expertise but also in terms of marketing and profitability testing. »
Patience and communication are the keys to success, in such projects. LONO has set up numerous demonstration plots, especially in the cocoa sector, with producers, cooperatives, various customers and the market. And the co-founder of LONO concludes with advice: "You have to gather a lot of information before starting such a project and build a network in Côte d'Ivoire and understand the comments and feedback from customers."
This article is part of a serie of articleS written by CommodAfrica made in light of 6th edition of SARA 2023 with the Kingdom of the Netherlands as country of honor in Côte d'Ivoire. This article is also available in french.