Ivory Coast is the world's biggest cocoa producer, it alone accounts for some 45% of global production. Over half of Ivory Coast farmers live below the national poverty line. About one and a half million children in cocoa farming areas are involved in dangerous child labour. Poor farmers are more likely to turn to their children rather than paying for adult labour.
A pair of crises will bedevil Europe, starting with crippling energy prices in the short term. And American protectionism threatens a longer-term dent in the continent’s green-industry ambitions. A visit to Ivory Coast’s cocoa operations reveals why balancing farmers’ welfare and market forces is so tricky. And what Britain’s street names reveal about its history and its ideals.
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