Abidjan, July 12, 2025 – On an official mission to Brazil, the Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests, Laurent Tchagba, secured on Thursday, July 10, 2025, the support of the Brazilian government for Côte d'Ivoire's agroforestry projects.
This cooperation was confirmed following a meeting with Brazil’s Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva. Accompanied by H.E. Diamoutené Alassane Zié, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Côte d’Ivoire to the Federative Republic of Brazil, Minister Laurent Tchagba presented to his counterpart the five main pillars of Côte d'Ivoire’s national forest restoration strategy, which is based on agroforestry and sustainable development.
The first pillar, focused on South-South cooperation for regenerative agriculture, aims to explore partnership opportunities between tropical countries to promote production models that combine food security, social inclusion, and environmental regeneration through nature-based solutions.
The second pillar involves forest concessions geared toward agroforestry. This includes examining Brazil’s legal frameworks and experiences with sustainable public forest concessions, with a particular emphasis on agroforestry systems and the active participation of local communities.
The third pillar is centered on financing the transition to low-carbon agriculture. It explores Brazilian financial instruments such as green credits, environmental bonds, and public funds (BNDES, CPR-Verde) that could be applied to rural regeneration projects in Côte d'Ivoire.
The fourth pillar concerns technical cooperation with EMBRAPA, Brazil’s agricultural research agency, internationally recognized for its expertise in tropical agriculture, agroforestry systems (SAF), and the restoration of productive landscapes. This collaboration includes scientific and technical exchanges to support Côte d'Ivoire’s restoration efforts.
Finally, the fifth pillar emphasizes knowledge exchange and mutual training. The goal is to establish permanent channels for sharing best practices, sending technical missions, and training specialized personnel in agroecology, climate, and sustainable management of productive landscapes.
Minister Laurent Tchagba advocated for fruitful cooperation and a strengthened partnership between his department and Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment. In response, Minister Marina Silva expressed her commitment to supporting Côte d’Ivoire in the implementation of its forest restoration projects. She highlighted Brazil’s willingness to share its expertise by developing solutions tailored to Ivorian realities. “We will move into more technical areas for all these projects,” she stated.
During the meeting, the Ivorian minister received a detailed presentation on innovative mechanisms for financing tropical forest conservation, as well as on ecological restoration strategies. It was noted that Côte d’Ivoire is eligible for several of these mechanisms.