Cash transfers are widely recognised as an effective poverty reduction tool and, in recent years, have gained increasing attention in agricultural supply chains, including cocoa, where private companies are exploring their potential to address child labour and strengthen farmer livelihoods.
In this context, ICI, in partnership with Nestlé, piloted a cash transfer programme in cocoa-growing communities in Ghana to explore how the impact of cash transfers changes when payments are made directly to women and when combined with complementary interventions promoting gender equality (through Gender Action Learning System training) and financial inclusion (through Village Savings and Loan Associations).
The findings show that when paired with gender equality and financial inclusion interventions, cash transfers can strengthen livelihoods, reduce child labour, and promote gender equality in cocoa-growing communities.
