Côte d'Ivoire takes 40% of the world cocoa market, which is responsible for the country's deforestation.

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CRISTINA ALDEHUELA / AFP

Ivorian students presented projects this Sunday to fight against deforestation in Côte d'Ivoire, a West African country which has lost almost all of its forests in half a century.

The world's largest cocoa producer with 40% of the market, it had 16 million hectares of forests in the 1960s. An area that has shrunk to two million hectares, according to official figures, mainly because of the development of plantations of cocoa.

On October 1st in #Yamoussoukro, which of the 05 finalist groups made up of 11 girls & 8 boys, will win the first Hackathon “Côte d'Ivoire pays vert!

Carbon sink ”initiated by #AccLab @pnudcotedivoire to protect the Ivorian Forest? @Carolflore_undp @UNDPAccLabs pic.twitter.com/torkDVDWJt

- UNDP Côte d'Ivoire (@pnudcotedivoire) September 30, 2020

Supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Ivorian Ministry of Water and Forests initiated a competition at the beginning of September under the theme: "Ivory Coast, green country, carbon sink", intended for students. of grandes écoles and universities.

One hundred and fourteen students divided into 12 groups had to find "innovative and appropriate solutions to prevent and fight against deforestation but also to reforest Côte d'Ivoire".

The Minister "appropriate [a] the proposed solutions"

Three groups were distinguished at the end of this competition, the result of which was broadcast this Sunday.

At the top, the group "Make It Green" proposed the design of drones suitable for monitoring and studying soils, monitoring forest mapping, seeding and rapid transport of phytosanitary products.

The “Green Citizen” group, which came second, proposed a mobile application for monitoring protected areas which instantly alerts the monitoring structures and locates the places where these areas have been violated.

The third, the “Impact Team” group, presented a project aiming at the production of charcoal from cocoa hulls, with the objective of reducing the use of firewood and enabling farmers to constitute a source of additional income.

The Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests, Alain Richard Donwahi, promised to "appropriate the solutions proposed", recalling that the new Ivorian forestry policy aims to recover "six million hectares in 2030, or 20% of the national territory and an increase of 3 million hectares of forests ”.

Côte d'Ivoire presented in August its first “green army”, a brigade of 650 soldiers to fight against deforestation and forest crime.

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