The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), in collaboration with the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) and the African Women in Trade and Agriculture (AWITA), undertook a three-day assessment to examine women’s contributions to the cocoa value chain and their role in environmental conservation in Ondo State, Nigeria.

The study involved strategic engagements with women cocoa farmers in Ile-Oluji, key officials from the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and representatives from John Vents Industry Limited, a private sector actor in cocoa processing. The objective was to generate evidence on women’s economic and environmental roles, identify existing barriers, and highlight entry points for more inclusive and sustainable cocoa development.

Findings confirmed that women are central to the cocoa production process, responsible for land preparation, planting, weeding, fermenting, drying, and marketing. However, their roles remain largely unrecognised due to entrenched gender divisions of labour. As one respondent stated, “We farm from our belly to our bones, but they still see men as the real farmers.”

Despite limited access to training, markets, and formal support systems, these women apply indigenous environmental practices such as intercropping with legumes, recycling water, retaining shade trees, and using decomposed cocoa pods and organic mixtures of neem, pepper, and ash.

Discussions with government officials acknowledged policy gaps, low awareness, and weak enforcement mechanisms, while the private sector highlighted infrastructure and access to credit as major constraints to value addition and investment.

The study reveals a critical need to include women in cocoa development policies, locally and continentally and calls for targeted interventions to strengthen their technical capacity, market access, and decision-making power.

The Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and local cocoa firms in the state are participating in this drive, with the dRPC, AWITA, and MINILS are continuing to explore ways to improve the participation of women in the cocoa value chain across the southwestern part of Nigeria.