Ghana’s Climate-Smart Cocoa Initiative

Vincent O. AkomeahDirector of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

Ghana Cocoa Board

Ghana and Cocoa • Cocoa has been Ghana’s main agricultural

cash crop for over 100 years

• Ghana is now the world’s second largestproducer of cocoa beans at over 850,000tonnes/year

• Cocoa is also a smallholder commodity thatintegrates food crops as well as otherproducts

• Cocoa is deeply embedded in cultural farmingpractices and contributes to economicgrowth, shared prosperity, and povertyreduction

Main Agricultural Crop in HFZ

• Covers approx. 1.8 million hectares of HFZ• Includes cocoa low shade (monoculture)s and high shade (cocoa

agroforests/open forest) systems.

Paradox of Cocoa Farming & Forests

• Cocoa farming a driver of forest degradation anddeforestation.

• Cocoa farming highly sensitive to changes inclimate.

• Can cocoa farming be a reforestation pathway(via cocoa agroforests) to reduce emissions andimprove resilience.

Challenges in the Sector

1. Low yields averaging 450kg/ha• low soil fertility,• pests and diseases,• ageing cocoa farms and farmers,• climate change

2. Absence of comprehensive information on cocoasystems & resources for policy making and extension

3. Low extension agent to farmer ratio4. Volatile world prices5. Illegal mining and competition from other crops6. Significant threat from climate change

Possible Solutions1. Implementation of Climate-Smart Cocoa, plus

improved farming technologies and inputs toenhance productivity (sustainableintensification)– artificial pollination,– rain fed to irrigation– treatment of diseased trees,

2. Development of accurate and modern datainformation systems and cocoa resources

– Biometric registration of cocoa farmers– Mapping of cocoa farms

3. Effective training of trainers on CSC production4. Farmer Business Schools (training on cocoa as

a business)5. Alternative & additional livelihood options for

farmers/communities

COCOBOD’s Strategy (draft)Vision is to create a modernized, resilient andcompetitive cocoa environment where allstakeholders strive towards a sustainablecocoa economy in which farmers and theircommunities can thrive.

Climate Smart Approach: increasing cocoaproduction, building resilience and reducing emissions in thecocoa landscape to achieve long-term, sustainable productionof cocoa and development in the value chain in the face ofclimate change pressures.

Climate Smart Cocoa Defined

Pillar Element of the CSC definition Objectives of CSC Expected Outcomes of CSC

1 Sustainably increase cocoa and agricultural productivity and incomes

Achieve a minimum of 1000 kg/ha; increase income of farmers and improve livelihoods in cocoa growing communities

To have a productive and competitive sector with improved livelihoods of farmers

2 Adapting and building resilience to climate change

Build resilience and reduce vulnerability of the cocoa system to environmental changes

Increased resilience of farmers and cocoa ecosystems to the impacts of climate change

3 Mitigation, Reducing and/or removing GHG emissions and ending deforestation and degradation in cocoa sector

Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and halt deforestation and degradation

Reduction in GHG emissions through sustainable agricultural practices; enhance carbon stocks through planting of shade trees in farms and degraded areas

Conservation of forests and its environs through the prevention of deforestation and degradation

4 Enhancing food security and focus on diversification in the cocoa landscape

Enhance the achievement of food security and diversification of revenue in cocoa landscape

Farmer income diversified and household food security attained

5 Enhancing social and economic development in the cocoa landscape

Enhance socio-economic and development goals

CSC benefit sharing/incentives and improved land use planning enhance standard of living in cocoa communities

Goal: To facilitate the adoption of site-specific sustainable practices that ensure higher yields, conservation, protection, management and use of cocoa landscape resources for better living standards

CSC Levels of ImplementationImplementation based on 3 levels stipulated in the ClimateSmart Cocoa Production Standard document intended to work• At farm-scale, promoting practices that enhance resilience

and adaptive capacity, and improve yields• At landscape scale, major commitment to reduce

deforestation and protect forests• At national level, tree tenure reforms to incentivize farmers

to maintain shade trees

ESPA funded research has informed and has synergieswith Ghana CSC at these various levels.

ESPA ECOLIMITS Project“The ecosystem limits to poverty alleviation in African

forest-agriculture landscapes (ECOLIMITS)”

GHANA:Cocoa-forest landscape surrounding Kakum National Park,

ETHIOPIA:Coffee-forest landscape of Yayu Biosphere Reserve

Studied the trade-offs and relationships between forests, small-holder tree-crop systems, and farmer wellbeing (poverty).

ECOLIMITS Findings• Cocoa yields appear to be limited by a

few ecological factors, many of whichcan be managed at farm scale, orlandscape.– Use of fertilizer was the most important

determinant of higher yields. Soil managementneeds to be a key element of CSC.

– Cocoa trees close to rotting vegetation hadsignificantly higher yields. Positive impact onboth soil moisture and cocoa pollinatorhabitat.

– Proximity to forest had a significant positiveimpact on yields

• By focusing on these factors, higher netincomes from cocoa could be realized

ECOLIMITS Findings• But only certain dimensions of poverty are

likely to improve based on cocoa yields and incomes.

• Communal infrastructure in addition to agricultural development is critical.

• Establishment of landscape consortiums to develop integrated solutions that optimize tradeoffs between productivity, yield, income, food security, economic development, well-being.

• Formally recognising local and informal tree rights improves the prospects of achieving the aims of

Way Forward for CSC in Ghana

1. Validation of Standard (through continuedcoordination among relevant stakeholders andresearch)

2. Capacity building of key personnel3. Pilot phase through on-ground initiatives4. Discussions on payment packages for

environmental services5. Scale-Up implementation

Thank you