RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA

Cocoa farmers in Ghana are generally not well organised. Though almost all the farmers are linked to a Licenced Buying Company, often this does not extend beyond a buyer-seller relationship. Farmers should get well organized and perhaps even trained to become cooperatives, because this gives them stronger bargaining power. It is likely that cooperatives will help them get access to agrochemicals, extension and credit. It can also increase the ability to get their messages across to the higher policy levels to make sure that they have a say in developments that will affect them and speak up when they do not get what they deserve. Promoting farmer organisation is also relevant with regard to REDD+ initiatives, where there is a need for a collection of farms as critical mass to qualify for any initiative (Anon., personal communication).

The difficulty in improving organisation is that farmers are generally very dependent on COCOBOD and there is a lack of alternative leadership that helps them realise that they have a say in the collaboration with COCOBOD. Moreover, cooperatives in Ghana appear to have a history of cheating and corruption, which is why farmers are not likely to trust the arrangement (Anon., personal communication). There is also a great need for training in organisation skills.