Soubré is the largest cocoa-producing region in Côte d’Ivoire. In the past, about 40% of the country's cocoa production was cultivated in the region. Due to the aging plantations and the swollen shoot virus, there has been a significant decrease in cocoa production. The region has several protected areas threatened by agriculture, including Tai National Park in the west, Niégré Forest Reserve in the southeast, Rapid Grah Forest Reserve in the north and south, and Mont Kourabahi Forest Reserve. Due to poverty, these forests are threatened by cocoa farmers, who rely on the land for income.

Agriculture in the region is heavily dependent on small-scale farmers, who struggle with low productivity due to farming practices. Finding a balance between providing livelihoods for farmers and reducing pressure on forests is the main focus of our work in Soubré. We work in collaboration with a growing number of local and national stakeholders. The pillars of our work are smallholder resilience, regenerative agriculture, and the restoration and maintenance of degraded forests.

We’re currently updating this SourceUp record. The Maturity and Progress Reporting datasets will be refreshed in the first half of September 2025. In the meantime, you can learn more about the initiative here: https://earthworm.org/our-work/projects/soubre-landscape