The C4D Regional Community of Practice was born in Colombia in 2023 as a strategy of the USDA Food for Progress Colombia – Cacao and Complementary Crops for Development (C4D) Project, implemented by Partners of the Americas. The C4D Community of Practice offers a platform for all stakeholders in the cacao and complementary crops value chains of Colombia and Latin America, to coordinate actions and investments with the purpose of consolidating the regional cacao sector as the main origin of socially and environmentally sustainable cacao production.
Our focus is to foster collaboration, share best practices, and coordinate investments through the exchange of information and knowledge, the organization of annual summits, and the pooling of resources to support strategic initiatives to boost the regional cocoa sector. Our activities aim to increase market potential, validate technologies, and support rural communities in achieving a dignified income.
Our vision for the C4D Community of Practice extends beyond the USDA Food for Progress C4D Project´s duration, aiming to continue the path of sustainable growth in the sector driven by our members.
Join us in shaping a more collaborative, innovative and sustainable future for the regional cacao industry!
C4D is the most ambitious international cooperation program for the development of the cacao sector ever carried out in Colombia. It is funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture -USDA and implemented by Partners of the Americas. With an investment of USD 25 million over 5 years, C4D supports 5,500 cocoa producer families and works with all actors in the colombian cacao value chain to increase agricultural productivity, improve living incomes of cacao farmers and expand trade of cacao and its complementary crops. C4D supports economically viable diversified farming systems and equitable commercialization models, acts to improve post-production processing and handling, facilitates acces to financing, and helps to create market linkages between farmers, producer groups and national and international value chain actors.
Our 6 Strategic Actions
• Increased productivity: 49 C4D extensionists conduct smart, personalized agricultural extension in a hybrid model. In-person extension and analog tools are crucial, especially for our producers, who on average are 57 years old.
• Complementary Crops: We help our farmers earn a living income through diversification and increased income from crops such as tabasco peppers and plantains.
• Value Chain Strengthening: We work to strengthen producer organizations in finance, accounting, contracting and leadership, segmented by their level of organizational development.
• Focused beneficiaries: The future of the cacao sector hinges on promoting and increasing innovation and participation of young people and rural women throughout the value chain.
• Payment for ecosystem services: Acces to financial benefits for cacao producers by facilitating their participation in carbon capture sales programs.
• Climate Risk Management: Implementation of a climate insurance program that protects smallholder farmers´ investment in case of drought or excess rainfall.
• Investment Fund: Implementation of a blended finance investment vehicle that will allow continuing support of key initiatives beyond the scope of the C4D Project implementation.
Find more information about the C4D project here