The Hershey Company has announced it will be a founding member of CocoaAction, a strategy to co-ordinate cocoa sustainability efforts from the world’s largest cocoa and chocolate companies.

The World Cocoa Foundation will act as the convener for the group, which seeks to build a rejuvenated and economically viable cocoa sector for at least 300,000 cocoa farmers – 200,000 in Côte d’Ivoire and 100,000 in Ghana – and the communities where they live by 2020.

The governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have formally endorsed CocoaAction as the industry’s aligned effort to support their national cocoa sustainability plans.

“A reliable, sustainable supply of ethically grown cocoa is vital to Hershey and the global chocolate and cocoa industry and is the best way to ensure consumers will enjoy delicious, affordable and sustainable cocoa,” said Terence O’Day, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Hershey.

“It’s a major breakthrough for key members of the industry to come together and work as a group to solve the challenges facing cocoa farming in West Africa and achieve our mutual sustainability objectives.”

CocoaAction will focus on increasing productivity through applying good agricultural practices, providing access to improved planting material and fertilizer, correct use of planting materials and fertilizer, and community development.

Community efforts include addressing child labour through labour monitoring and remediation, making basic education available, ensuring children go to school, and improving gender parity so that women have a greater influence in their communities’ decision making and development.

Companies that have committed to CocoaAction as of 20 May 2014, include: ADM; Armajaro; Barry Callebaut; Blommer; Cargill; Ecom; Ferrero; Mars, Incorporated; Mondel?z International; Nestlé; and Olam