Since 2016, ITC in cooperation with its partners- Chocolats Halba (Coop), the Kuapa Kokoo Farmer Union, Niche Cocoa, Max Havelaar Foundation, Fairtrade Africa, Yam Development Council of Ghana and the Government of Ghana have been working together to achieve transformative impact by supporting smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana and their families to improve their livelihoods through income diversification and adoption of climate smart agriculture. To date, several thousands of dollars have been jointly invested by value chain operators. As a result, lead farmer revenues have increased by 22% on the average, and the project secured new commercial partnerships and markets for yam and associated crops. In addition, the Kuapa Kokoo Farmer Union is now mainstreaming the adoption of improved climate risk mitigation and adaptation practices. The scaling up plan for 2019-2023 aims to increase living income, improving cocoa and associated crops productivity & quality, while reducing the over dependency on mono cropping production systems. The ultimate aim is to contribute to 3 pillars of sustainable livelihoods (social, economic and environmental) of stakeholders in the cocoa and associated crops value chains through a multi-stakeholder approach on income diversification, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation.
This article was originally published by: ITC
