Postdoc: “Sustainable sourcing policies for biodiversity protection, climate mitigation, and improved livelihoods in the cocoa sector”

Objectives: To investigate and foster the conditions under which supply chain sustainability initiatives (SSIs) can lead to reduced deforestation and increased shade-tree cover in cocoa production systems and, in turn, a triple-win of increased biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and livelihood resilience, in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Research description: Within the project, the postdoc, in collaboration with the SEI-UCLouvain team and the Trase initiative, will be in charge of several key tasks, mainly:

* Improving and updating the model of subnational to export market cocoa supply chains in Côte d'Ivoire, including by improving the model design, translating the code from R to Python, and updating the model with new data (see some results of this model here and there: https://insights.trase.earth/insights/chocolate-companies-face-deforestation-risks-from-unknown-cocoa-supplies/ )

* Engaging and liaising with multiple actors in Côte d’Ivoire and internationally (NGOs, companies, public actors) to unlock data and information in order to improve and update the model of Côte d’Ivoire (e.g. by fostering the release of companies’ supplier lists) and ensuring the uptake and use of the results in the Ivorian and international policy context.

* Assess the possibilities for improving the transparency context and building similar subnational supply chain models for other countries in the region such as Ghana or Cameroon, and act upon these possibilities.