Mighty Earth is an environmental advocacy organization focused on exposing and addressing the negative impacts of cashew cultivation in Côte d'Ivoire. The organization highlights how the rapid expansion of cashew farming over the past 40 years has led to significant deforestation, with approximately 1.6 million hectares now dedicated to cashew plantations—an area nearly the size of Hawaii.
This agricultural expansion threatens unique dry forest ecosystems and protected areas like Comoé National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to critically endangered Western Chimpanzees. Mighty Earth details the environmental consequences, including biodiversity loss and pesticide pollution from agrochemicals that contaminate soil and groundwater.
The organization also examines socio-economic issues: while cashew farming initially boosted rural incomes, it has created dependency, leading to food insecurity when prices collapse, as seen in early 2023. Additionally, the processing of cashews exposes workers, primarily women, to caustic oils causing burns and injuries due to lack of protective equipment.
Mighty Earth provides recommendations for creating a sustainable cashew industry, such as implementing traceability systems, halting expansion into native ecosystems, diversifying crops and incomes for farmers, restoring forests, funding sustainable farming research, and banning imports linked to deforestation in major consumer markets like the US and EU.