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 species such as the Western Chimpanzee. Mighty Earth also documents socio-economic issues, including food insecurity as farmers shift from traditional food crops to cashew production, and hazardous working conditions for laborers, particularly women who manually de-shell nuts and risk caustic burns.
The organization provides recommendations for creating a sustainable cashew industry, advocating for traceability systems, halting expansion into native ecosystems, supporting crop diversification, and promoting forest restoration. Mighty Earth targets consumer markets in the US and Europe, which account for about two-thirds of global cashew consumption, urging regulatory action and corporate responsibility.