RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA
Health & Safety
The general health and safety concerns in cocoa farming appear to be quite well known (for example see Muilerman, 2013) but there might be additional issues in cocoa farms that include shade trees. For example, according to a study by Ruf (2011) farmers are worried about the risks of maintaining isolated tall trees on their farms. They mentioned the chance of trees being uprooted by strong winds and harming the farm and the farmer
Research needs:
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To what extent is there reason for concern about the safety risks of shade trees on cocoa farms (e.g. falling branches)?
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How can the risks be reduced (e.g. pruning)?
Further reading:
Muilerman, S. (2013). Occupational Safety and Health on Ghanaian Cocoa Farms: Baseline Report.
Ruf, F. O. (2011). The Myth of Complex Cocoa Agroforests: The Case of Ghana. Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 39(3), 373–388. doi:10.1007/s10745-011-9392-0
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