Governments of Malaysia and Côte d’Ivoire join Brazil in advancing regenerative agriculture and agroforestry

From the cocoa landscapes of Côte d’Ivoire to the palm oil fields of Malaysia and the forest mosaics of Brazil, countries across the tropics are seeking ways to restore degraded land, enhance farmer resilience, and develop more regenerative food systems.

Over the past few months, delegations from Côte d’Ivoire and Malaysia travelled to Pará, Brazil, in a knowledge exchange coordinated by Earthworm Foundation, to learn firsthand how agroforestry can serve as a bridge between productivity and restoration.

The visits, held between July and September 2025, came at a crucial time. As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, governments are under increasing pressure to demonstrate how their climate pledges can translate into tangible on-the-ground change. In this context, the exchanges offered a rare example of direct collaboration among tropical nations, leaders, researchers, and farmers coming together to share proven approaches for building more resilient rural economies.

Learning from Brazil’s Living Laboratory

In Tomé-Açu, a landscape long recognised for its pioneering agroforestry systems, the delegations observed farms where oil palm, cocoa, fruit trees, and native forest species, such as açaí and andiroba, grow side by side. These systems, developed over more than four decades by cooperatives such as CAMTA and local farmers of Japanese descent, mimic the structure and function of natural forests.

What the visitors saw was a living demonstration of how biodiversity and productivity can mutually reinforce each other. Farmers explained how intercropping helps them smooth income throughout the year, reduce pest outbreaks, and improve soil fertility, all while re-establishing ecological balance.

During the trip, delegates also met researchers at Cocoa Farming Plan (CEPLAC), Brazil’s cocoa research and extension agency, where decades of trials have refined how technical services can guide farmers through the complex process of transitioning to diversified systems. The discussions went beyond agronomy, touching on how governments can embed agroforestry into national land-use and agricultural policies.

Brazil’s Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, met with the Ivorian delegation, recognising the political importance of these partnerships. The exchange signalled that agroforestry is not only an agricultural practice but a pathway for climate and biodiversity diplomacy.

Shared Challenges, Different Contexts

For Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer, the visit came as the country advances its plan to restore 5 million hectares of degraded forests and land by 2030. Cocoa production has been impacted by a combination of pests, including the swollen shoot virus, and climate-related yield declines, which is increasing pressure on rural livelihoods.

“Agroforestry is important because it restores life cycles: connectivity, succession, and biodiversity,” said Eleanor Ngbesso, Africa Programme Manager at Earthworm Foundation. “Its implementation ensures revitalisation and a new agricultural paradigm focused on effective resource management.”

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Water and Forests, Laurent Tchagba, led two missions to Brazil earlier in 2025, including high-level meetings in Brasília with Marina Silva. The goal: to understand how Brazil’s decades of agroforestry policy and farmer engagement might inform Côte d’Ivoire’s own forest restoration strategy.

Meanwhile, Malaysia faces a different but complementary challenge. With over 114,000 hectares of oil palms replanted in 2024, the country is undergoing a major replanting cycle. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) view agroforestry as a means to diversify income streams during the years preceding the harvest of new palms, reduce vulnerability to climate shocks, and enhance rural resilience.

“This visit has opened our eyes to how diversified systems might cushion farmers during transitions and strengthen resilience,” said Dr Mohd Hefni bin Rusli, Director at MPOB’s Smallholder Extension and Certification Division. “We hope to pilot and adapt what we’ve seen in Malaysia, in collaboration with other commodities.”

Earthworm’s Role as Connector

With more than a decade of work in Tomé-Açu, Earthworm Foundation has helped farmers, cooperatives, and companies strengthen agroforestry models that combine ecological restoration with stable incomes. These long-term relationships positioned Earthworm to act as a facilitator for the exchanges, linking government officials with farmers and researchers whose day-to-day experience reflects decades of experimentation.

“Our role is to connect governments to field innovation so that knowledge doesn’t stay theoretical,” said João Carlos Silva, Country Representative for Earthworm Foundation Brazil. “Brazil’s landscapes taught lessons; our task is to help them adapt elsewhere.”

“The visit wasn’t only about farm systems,” added Pooi San Wong, Field Programme Lead for Earthworm Foundation Malaysia. “At CEPLAC, we saw how technical agencies can work hand-in-hand with farmer associations to scale up agroforestry. That’s exactly the kind of collaboration Malaysia needs as we design our next steps.”

Across every stop, from the shaded rows of cocoa and palm to the research labs of Belém, the emphasis was on mutual learning rather than one-way transfer. Delegates compared how incentives, farmer training, and monitoring systems could be adapted to their national contexts.

Building a New Kind of Collaboration

These exchanges are part of a growing partnership among Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, and Malaysia, driven by a shared recognition that regenerative practices must work both ecologically and economically. By connecting farmers, scientists, and public institutions across continents, the initiative demonstrates how knowledge built in one tropical landscape can inform others facing similar pressures.

As Malaysia and Côte d’Ivoire consider their next steps, both countries plan to pilot agroforestry models tailored to their specific crops and ecosystems. Earthworm Foundation will continue to support these efforts through technical adaptation, farmer engagement, and opportunities for cross-country learning.

The collaboration aligns closely with COP30’s agenda of locally led action and cooperative climate solutions, proving that the most transformative change often starts in the field, nurtured by shared curiosity and trust.