Health as a Catalyst: How Cross-Sector Action Boosts Livelihoods in Cotton and Cocoa Supply Chains

How did joint and scalable efforts in health unlock broader impact and income stability for smallholder farmers?

The Living Income Community of Practice hosted a webinar to explore how collaboration across the cocoa and cotton sectors strengthened healthcare access for smallholder farming communities, creating positive ripple effects on income stability and gender equity.

Drawing on insights from Elucid’s work in global supply chains, the session highlighted how joint engagement from cocoa and cotton stakeholders helped unlock additional public co-funding. This support expanded the reach of health interventions beyond individual supply chains to entire farming communities, increasing impact and contributing to long-term improvements in health, resilience, and livelihoods.

The discussion unpacked how healthcare access protected farmer incomes by reducing out-of-pocket costs, preventing productivity losses, and enabling reinvestment in farming. For companies, these outcomes made a strong case for integrating health into supply chain strategies, reducing economic vulnerability among farmers, and supporting more resilient sourcing systems.

A panel of company representatives, local implementers, and funders shared practical insights from the field, followed by an interactive audience Q&A.