Improving farmer wellbeing is central to sustainable cocoa value chains, yet little is known about the mechanisms through which private sustainability strategies generate such effects. Drawing on justice theory, this study analyses how distributive, procedural, and recognition justice shape farmer wellbeing within cooperatives, corporate sustainability programmes, and social enterprises. Using process tracing and mixed data from three cases in the Peruvian Amazon, the results show that governance practices perceived as fair across these justice dimensions enhance farmers’ wellbeing, satisfaction, and commitment. Distributive justice emerges as particularly important, and farmers tend to hold cooperatives to higher fairness expectations than private companies.

Decommodification through fine flavour cacao (FFC) offers opportunities for more sustainable and differentiated cacao markets but also risks excluding smallholder producers who cannot meet stricter quality, environmental, and social standards. Based on interviews with 76 buyers and surveys of 337 farmers in Cusco and Piura, the study maps producer and buyer types and evaluates how well their requirements align. While some farmers are well positioned for FFC markets, many face significant gaps—particularly in bean quality, zero-deforestation and agroforestry practices, and women’s participation. Supporting institutions and trading arrangements are essential to help vulnerable producers benefit from an increasingly diversified, high-quality cacao sector.

This CDE article reviews how global coffee markets have evolved over the past quarter century, tracing the sector’s shift from severe price crises to today’s historically high market values. It highlights structural drivers behind price volatility, the growing influence of major traders, and the implications for smallholder farmers in producing countries. The piece offers an accessible overview of long-term trends in a key tropical commodity that remains central to many agricultural livelihoods worldwide.

In a contribution to the University of Bern’s series “Sustainability – a bewildering (buzz)word”, historian Dr. Juri Auderset traces the evolution of the sustainability concept from its 18th-century forestry origins to today’s global discourse. He warns that the term’s overuse risks diluting its meaning and calls for renewed historical reflection on growth, justice, and environmental limits. His analysis offers valuable context for Agricultural Research for Development (ARD), reminding practitioners that sustainable food and land-use systems must address the long-standing tensions between resource exploitation, social equity, and ecological balance.

A 2025 article by Kelvin Mulungu, Menale Kassie, and Maurice Tschopp from the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) reviews 49 studies on ICT-based agricultural extension. It finds that digital tools such as mobile apps, SMS, videos, and voice services significantly improve farmers’ awareness, adoption of good practices, yields, and incomes. The authors highlight that effective ICT interventions require locally adapted content, training, and integration with complementary measures to maximize impact.