Joint Study on Cocoa Farmers’ Household Income in Ghana - Empowering Women in Cocoa Production

Factsheet

Lead school School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences
Institute HAFL Institut Hugo P. Cecchini
Agriculture
Research unit International Agriculture and Rural Development
Funding organisation Others
Duration (planned) 01.03.2024 - 31.03.2028
Project management Dr. Ingrid Fromm
Head of project Dr. Ingrid Fromm
Project staff Dr. Ingrid Fromm
Katharina Ineichen
Partner Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa
FiBL - Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau
Ghana Cocoa Board
Keywords Sustainable production systems;Access to markets and value chains;Society, policy and rural development;

Situation

The joint study aims to comprehensively assess the current household income status of cocoa farmers in Ghana. The project is a collaborative effort between Cocobod (Ghana Cocoa Board), SWISSCO (Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa), FIBL (Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau) and HAFL (Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften). The survey will explore the potential impact of recent initiatives on improving the well-being of cocoa farming households, informing stakeholders and contributing to strategies that promote sustainable cocoa production and livelihood improvement in Ghana. The support provided to the study is through master's thesis research, which will be an integral part of the project, focusing specifically on the gender aspect of cocoa household such as income differences between genders. Through in-depth analysis, the thesis will provide valuable insights and recommendations to promote gender equality and empowerment within the cocoa sector, aligning with the project’s overall objectives.

Course of action

The study will employ a mixed-method approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative tools to comprehensively address the research topic. The study's methodology emphasizes extensively drawing from established reference methods, particularly by adhering to the guidelines of the Living Income Community of Practice (LICoP). This approach leverages lessons learned and established methodologies to accurately estimate the living income and the living income gap of smallholder farmers. Surveys and focus groups with farmers will be conducted to assess the farmers' household income and to explore challenges and strategies related to improving household income. The data will be collected from two categories of cocoa farmers as follows: (1) Cocoa farmers across Ghana's cocoa landscape, and (2) Cocoa farmers who have benefited from selected interventions from SWISSCO.”

Result

The expected outcomes are: 1. To understand the current level and pattern of household income among cocoa producers in Ghana 2. Identification of key factors influencing the household income of cocoa producers 3. Understanding the challenges faced by female cocoa producers in accessing market possibilities 4. Identification of effective approaches to strengthen and empower female cocoa producers