.  .  .   Chocolate has long transcended the boundaries of a captivating confection to become a global symbol of sweetness, romance, and love. Yet, tracing it back to its origins - where chocolate still takes the form of raw cocoa pods - reveals an inescapable cycle of poverty and unsustainability. There, environmental and financial threats, coupled with labor injustices and deplorable working conditions, have sparked conflicts and left immeasurable consequences for smallholder farmers in particular, and the entire cocoa production industry as a whole.

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 .  .  .  Primarily, the tribulations of the cocoa industry stem largely from the egregious injustices and oppressive working conditions prevalent in many regions. A report by Sadhu et al. (2020) focusing on Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire exposes a deeply alarming reality: approximately 45% of children in cocoa-farming households are thrust into the labor force [1]. An estimated 1.56 million children are documented to be engaged in various forms of child labor, with a staggering 1.48 million exposed to at least one form of hazardous work. In 2021, several multinational chocolate conglomerates - including Nestlé, Barry Callebaut, Mars, Olam, Hershey, and Mondelēz - faced severe allegations of aiding and abetting the enslavement of thousands of child laborers across cocoa plantations [2]. These accusations stemmed from a landmark lawsuit filed by eight Ivorian citizens, who asserted they had been subjected to forced, unpaid labor on these very plantations [3]. Furthermore, the antiquated state of physical infrastructure and production technologies, paralyzed by severe financial constraints, continuously hinders farmers from adopting sustainable agricultural practices. These intrinsic vulnerabilities pose monumental challenges to the sustainable development of the world's leading cocoa-producing nations in Africa.

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 .  .  .  While precarious working conditions and the exploitation of child labor continue unabated, the average income of these farmers continues to stagnate at distressingly low levels. In Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire alone, the daily income of numerous households currently falls below the World Bank's international poverty line of $2.12 per capita. Furthermore, the vast majority fall drastically short of the indispensable living income benchmarks, which stand at $5.81 per capita per day for Ghana and $6.32 for Côte d'Ivoire [4]. Research by Boysen et al. (2023) reveals similarly bleak figures: the average daily income of cocoa farmers is a mere $2.08 in Côte d'Ivoire and an abysmal $1.50 in Ghana (calculated per adult equivalent) [5].

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 .  .  .  Beyond the human dimension, climate change and environmental degradation are also inflicting profound repercussions on the working conditions of farmers. Specifically, escalating temperatures and erratic rainfall have severely compromised both the yield and quality of cocoa crops. Furthermore, the increasingly sweltering and hostile working environment ruthlessly drains the physical stamina of the laborers. Arduous labor under the unforgiving sun, coupled with the constant peril of chemical exposure, has doubled the risk of heat-induced illnesses and cardiovascular diseases. This is a particularly harrowing reality given that the workforce predominantly consists of young children, marginalized individuals, and forced laborers. [6]

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 .  .  .  Furthermore, global cocoa prices are currently dictated by powerful economic entities and multinational conglomerates (such as Nestlé, Mars, Mondelēz, and Hershey’s). This stark power imbalance relegates farmers to a highly passive role, entirely stripped of any control or bargaining power over the fruits of their own arduous labor [7]. The profit disparity within this industry is staggeringly disproportionate: for every chocolate bar sold, the lion's share - a massive 90% of the profits - is absorbed by distributing conglomerates and retailers. In stark contrast, the farmers and exporting nations are left with a dismal fraction of less than 7.5%. Consequently, the vast majority of farming households fail to secure a living income. This systemic financial deprivation indirectly perpetuates the reliance on child labor and drives rampant deforestation as farmers desperately attempt to maintain production volumes and offset price deficits, ultimately unleashing catastrophic environmental and social consequences [8].

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 .  .  .  As the sweet facade melts away, a bitter reality is exposed. While profits remain stagnant and quality demands become increasingly stringent, child and forced laborers continue to toil in deplorable, neglected conditions. This creates a profound human rights vacuum - one in which everyday consumers unwittingly become accomplices by purchasing products from irresponsible manufacturing and processing conglomerates. Moreover, external factors such as natural disasters, rampant diseases, and market volatility constantly lurk, ready to turn their arduous harvests into outright disasters. These forces ruthlessly rob farmers of the fruits of their labor, plunging them ever deeper into a relentless vortex of economic hardship.

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 .  .  .  As the global imperative for a sustainable economy grows increasingly urgent, the cocoa production industry cannot be left behind. Rather, it demands the concerted attention of host nations, economic stakeholders, and the consumers themselves. The aforementioned hardships and their ensuing consequences must be confronted with the utmost gravity. Decisive and appropriate measures are required to comprehensively resolve both internal and external challenges, thereby fostering a cocoa industry that is equitable, sustainable, and unwavering in safeguarding the fundamental rights of its workers.

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(Posted in March 2026)​

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AUTHORS

Nguyễn Hữu Khánh - Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy, 52nd Cohort, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam;

Ngô Thảo Nguyên- Faculty of International Law, 52nd Cohort, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Nguyễn Tiến Thành Đạt- Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy, 51st Cohort, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Thái Hữu Khoa - Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy, 51st Cohort, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

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GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Nguyễn Hồng Lam, Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy, 52nd Cohort, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

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REFERENCES

1. Sadhu, S., Kysia, K., Onyango , L., Zinnes , C., Lord  , S., Monnard , A., & Arellano, I. R. (2020). NORC Final Report:   Assessing Progress in Reducing Child  Labor in Cocoa Production in Cocoa  Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. NORC at the University of Chicago. https://www.norc.org/content/dam/norc-org/pdfs/NORC%202020%20Cocoa%20Report_English.pdf

2. Balch, O. (2021, February 13). Mars, Nestlé and Hershey to Face Child Slavery Lawsuit in US. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us

3. Balch, O. (2021, February 13). Mars, Nestlé and Hershey to Face Child Slavery Lawsuit in US. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us

4. van Vliet, J. A., Slingerland, M. A., Waarts, Y. R., & Giller, K. E. (2021). A Living Income for Cocoa Producers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana? Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.732831

5. Boysen, O., Ferrari, E., Nechifor, V., & Tillie, P. (2023). Earn a living? What the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana cocoa living income differential might deliver on its promise. Food Policy, 114, 102389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102389

6. Climate Matters. (2025). Climate Change is Heating Up West Africa’s Cocoa Belt | Climate Central. Climatecentral.org. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/climate-and-cocoa-2025

7. Staritz, C., Tröster, B., Grumiller, J., & Maile, F. (2022). PriceSetting Power in Global Value Chains: The Cases of Price Stabilisation in the Cocoa Sectors in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The European Journal of Development Research, 35, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1057/s4128702200543z

Musselli, I., Bruelisauer, S., Porchet, N., & Oberlack, C. (2025). Cocoa Pricing for a Living Income: Mechanisms, Regulatory Levers, and Limitations. https://doi.org/10.48620/88120

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