As an integrated program, cocoa life has five focus areas. Cocoa agroforestry for increasing forest connectivity. It has been estimated that in 20102011 exports of cocoa ghanas reached 1 004 000 mt gain, 2012in terms of world cocoa exports, ghana has maintained its. The period 2000 to 2015 cocoa crop year was used for the study since a major cocoa production boom was. How to start lucrative plantain farming in ghana duration. Behind ivory coast, ghana is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world. Cocoa statistics, various issues, and ghana cocoa marketing board, c. One of the key findings of the study is that, due to several reasons, productivity in cocoa farming is low, and declines as the farmers get older.
Cocoa trees do not like too much sun, and its natural habitat is under the heavy rainforest canopy. How much time and money would have to be invested to get a. In ghana, poverty abounds especially among rural farming households, even though, poverty according to the ghana living standard survey 5 is said to have reduced at an unprecedented rate from 51. Cocoa research institute of ghanacadbury international ghana. Here are the top cocoa beans producers in africa, with global percentage. Modeling ghanaian cocoa farmers decision to use pesticide and frequency of application. Cocoa agroforestry for increasing forest connectivity in a. Slightly less than one hectare of long bush fallowsecondary forest and was. The timing of the cocoa harvest varies from country to country, depending on the climate and the variety of cocoa. Thats the reason why youll not want tos start a cocoa farm in the northern part of nigeria. Pdf cocoa production in ghana kwasi clarks academia. Labor practices in the cocoa sector of ghana with a special focus on the. Insight into the standard of living of ghanaian cocoa.
Why the world might be running out of cocoa farmers. Ghana cocoa board encourages youth to venture into cocoa. Creating opportunities for young people in ghanas cocoa sector 7 executive summary cocoa production is essential to the health of ghanas economy, contributing 3% to its gross domestic product and supporting the livelihoods of approximately 4 million farming households gss, 2015. A survey was conducted to provide insight into the standard of living of cocoa farmers in ghana. At the 2016 national chocolate day held at krodua, ghana, the deputy ceo of the ghana cocoa board dr francis oppong appealed to the custodians of traditional lands to release lands for farming under the boards youth in cocoa programme the producer price of. The company climate facilitates the development of new the company climate facilitates the development of new innovations and technology in cocoa farming. In 20182019, ghana is estimated to have produced about 900 thousand tons of cocoa beans, a decrease from approximately 969 thousand tons in 20162017. Ghana cocoa industryan analysis from the innovation.
Creating opportunities for young people in ghanas cocoa. Best climate conditions for cocoa farming in nigeria. In ghana we grow a lot of it, and it has been a major industry here for more than a hundred years. Cocoa is the countrys second most important export and provides income to a large segment of the ghanaian population. Presently, the company has put together a special programme to assist cocoa farmers increase incomes, improve village life, and to make cocoa farming an attractive business for the youth. Cocoa farming plays a critical economic and social role in ghana. Update 1ghana abandons plan to cut cocoa farmers prices. Mondelez international recognizes this evolving production landscape and supports this investigation into measuring the. Cocoa plays an important role in the economy of ghana. Sustainable cocoa farming cocoa theobroma cacau is the wonderful stuff chocolate is made from. Republic of ghana in africa, ghana ranks 24th by size out of 54 countries, 14th by population and th by population density.
In ghana, cocoa farmers face challenges such as aging trees, pests, and diseases. A mixed farming system is used on all estates where lumber. Why the world might be running out of cocoa farmers npr. It was an indigenous plant in the rain forests of central and southern america, and so rare and expensive that only the royalty of inca or aztecs were permitted to eat it. Sustainable and futureoriented cocoa producjon in ghana. Ghana is the worlds third largest producer figure 1 and the second largest exporter of cocoa beans after cote divoire figure 2. For news about ghana, see accraexpats how to guide page how to keep posted with ghana news official name. Good agricultural practices for sustainable cocoa production. Ghanas cocoa cultivation, however, is noted within the developing world to be one of the most modeled commodities and valuables. Accra, march 20 reuters ghanas government has called off plans to cut how much it pays cocoa farmers and will look at other ways to address volatile market prices, senior minister yaw. Let us hope for another such season to compensate for some of the main crops shortfall. The beans remain under the leaves for five to eight days, and the fermentation process releases the delicious aroma of the chocolate.
Cocoa ghanas largest cash crop by phil bartle, phd. It is the sometimes fermented dried and powdered seed of the fruit of the tree theobroma cacau. But the cocoa sector has been afflicted with continuing problems, including declining productivity, crop damage from. There are different stories of how ghanas black gold, cocoa, was introduced to ghana. The conditions that pushed these farmers to migrate and buy land for cocoa are well documented. Farmers perceptions of the effectiveness of the cocoa.
Stemming from the cadbury cocoa partnership in ghana 20082012, the cocoa life program links cocoa farming with community development through a holistic, communitybased approach to sustainability. Modeling ghanaian cocoa farmers decision to use pesticide. Shaping the success of an economy shashi kolavalli and marcella vigneri chapter 12 shashi kolavalli is senior research fellow and leader, ghana strategy support program, international food policy research institute. Farmers benefit from the global market for the crop and the cacao trees ability to work well with other crops that peak at different times of the year. Ghanas cocoa farmers turn to smuggling as profits dwindle.
Cacao is a fastgrowing tropical forest plant, capable of being cultivated in association with other trees, and providing additional goods like timber and firewood, fruits, construction materials. Cocoa value chain implication for the smallholder farmer. A case study of the ghanaian cocoa industry kwasi boateng western kentucky university, kwasi. The cocoa fruits are harvested by hand and gently pried open with a machete. Cocoa is the chief agricultural export of ghana and ghanas main cash crop. In these countries smallholder yields per hectare range from 200kg in ecuador to 1,500kg for smallholders in indonesia, ghana 300kg and cote diviore 450kg. Sustainable cocoa farming ghana permaculture institute. Ppt during wcf conference, session innovations in sustainability ppp.
Obtaining the land for cocoa cultivation this is a cost that will vary widely around the world and within a country. Marcella vigneri is a visiting scholar, department of. Christiana, like so many women in cocoa, has it all all the household duties, the. The ghana cocoa board cocobod regulates the cocoa industry in ghana, with a primary mandate of enabling production, processing, and marketing of cocoa as. A total of 637 households with 3392 persons were randomly sampled using a multi staged sampling technique from eleven cocoa districts in ghana. West africa collectively supplies two thirds of the worlds cocoa crop. To improve farmers livelihoods, cocoa life has partnered with tree global, a large scale nursery operator to produce highquality cocoa seedlings to be distributed among farmers and help rehabilitate degraded farmlands. How much time and money would have to be invested to get a cocoa farm operational and what are the ongoing production costs. Cocoa life is an exciting project in which vso is working with mondelez international to support farmers and producers in ghana to ensure a sustainable cocoa supply chain. The cocoa industry employs approximately 800,000 farm families spread over six of the ten regions of ghana.
The scale of operation in ghanaian cocoa farming is small. Soils in the municipality fall into the ochrosols group which is generally fertile and therefore support the cultivation of cocoyam, maize, cassava, cocoa. In ghana, a cooperative helps women cocoa farmers take the. The estates comprise of 750 ha of cocoa trees of the trinitario variety. Ghanas cocoa beans are primarily exported for processing into cocoa butter, liquor, and powder for chocolate confectionery, and used in cosmetics and beauty products barrientos et al. Research queson and methods central to this research is the ques6on of whether the ini6a6ves from the private sector lead to a more sustainable and futureoriented cocoa producon in ghana. After harvesting, the cocoa beans are piled in mounds and covered with banana leaves. Today this west african nation is the second largest producer of cocoa beans.
The growing population of cocoa farmers also reinvested its profits in expan ding cocoa production in the western end of ghana s forest zone, rapidly shifting the production frontier into ashanti and brong. Ghana cocoa board official website cocobod, accra, ghana. The overarching objective of the cocoa partnership is to guarantee sustainable cocoa production in the country. In 2011, ghanas lightcrop cocoa harvest, which produces smaller beans, more than doubled to 97,965 metric tons in the 12 weeks of the season to sept. Ghana cocoa production ranking interesting facts about. Even though ivory coast is the worlds largest cocoa producer, ghana is switzerlands principal cocoa supplier. Cocoa farming can only be done under very specific climate conditions. The initial capital assets invested in cocoa farming were poor. Farmer training guide on icpm cocoa cambium the layer of tissue between the wood and the innermost bark of a tree canker a spot where the bark and cambium tissue is damaged or dead because of an infection caused by black pod fungus chupon vertical stem or shoot water shoot epiphyte a type of plant e. Representing a global value chain, cocoa has become the countrys most important agricultural export commodity and a vital contributor to ghanas.
In two months she will be coming to the us, her first trip out of ghana, to speak to consumers, businesses, and politicians about her life as a woman cocoa farmer. The cocoa harvest is not confined to one short period but is spread over several months once or twice a year. Analysis of incentives and disincentives for cocoa in ghana. A cash crop, cocoa farming accounts for a substantial percentage of family income in many countries.
294 999 1258 1572 1313 321 616 830 570 290 729 1175 909 315 647 1615 336 535 360 875 877 674 711 696 1224 122 1603 38 474 1151 190 1174 1185 543 1333 422 1292 485 917