RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA

Cocoa productivity in Ghana is low compared to other cocoa producing countries. Government extension and many NGO and private sector initiatives focus on increasing productivity, with the aim to ensure sufficient global supply of cocoa in the future as well as an increased income for producers and other actors. Increased productivity can be achieved by improving access to training in agricultural practices and agrochemicals, reducing the effect of pests and diseases and by rehabilitating old farms with appropriate planting material (Anon., personal communication). Training in good agricultural practices (GAPs) plays an important role and many farmers indicate that this has greatly contributed to increased productivity. These GAPs could reduce the need for inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides, which reduces the cost of production and thus increasing the profit (Anon., personal communication).

With regards to the shaded production systems, it is particularly important to understand the effects of shade trees on cocoa productivity levels. There have been several studies on this relationship, though many of these took place in Neotropical regions.  The commonly held view is that shaded systems have a lower but more sustainable yield, though there is always a strong relationship with fertilizer application (R. Asare et al., 2014; Gockowski & Sonwa, 2008). It is important to be aware of the effect of the shade levels that are promoted by the project on cocoa productivity and thus farm income, which can also include additional income for the shade trees. There have been several studies on the profitability of shaded cocoa systems and a review of the literature could lead to a better understanding of which factors influence the difference between systems and how this influences the potential rational decision making of farmers (e.g R. Asare et al., 2014; Obiri, Bright, McDonald, Anglaaere, & Cobbina, 2007; Ruf, 2011).