World Cocoa Foundation to launch Cocoa Livelihoods Programme in Ghana
Accra, Oct. 15, GNA - Nearly 60,000 Ghanaian cocoa farmers are to
benefit from a five-year programme, to improve their livelihoods and income, through training in enhanced farming technologies, learning of new
business skills and crop diversification on their farms.
The $40 million programme, being managed by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), was first announced in February.
It is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 12
chocolate and cocoa manufacturing companies.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency ahead of the launch next
Monday (October 19), Mr Mbalo Ndiaye, Programme Director, Cocoa Livelihoods Programme of the WCF, said the aim was to boost farmers' incomes in the face of declining production and low quality of crops.
"It is a unique public private partnership with government agencies,
chocolate companies and selected non-governmental organisations with
expertise in the cocoa sector, combining to deliver more market oriented training to farmers," he said.
Activities in Ghana will focus on improving production and quality at
the farm level, equipping farmers with business skills, promoting diversification of income, and enhancing access to inputs and support
services, he said.
The programme is a follow up to successful previous government
initiatives and cocoa sector development programmes, like the
sustainable Tree Crops Programme, funded by the US Agency for
International Development and the Cocoa industry.
"The experiences of these programmes are essential in informing the
design of the Cocoa Livelihoods programme," he said.
The work in Ghana is part of a larger five country programme, targeting
200,000 cocoa-growing households across Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria,
Cameroon and Liberia.
The programme will be active in 21 districts in the Ashanti, Eastern,
Brong Ahafo, Western and Central regions. Accra will serve as the
Regional Headquarters of the programme.
Mr Ndiaye said successful activities implemented during the project
life span would be scaled up and replicated in other regions, while
rigorous monitoring and evaluation would be done to track changes in
farmer's income.
"We welcome this opportunity to improve the lives of so many cocoa
farmers in Ghana and look forward to collaborating with other
stakeholders to make this programme a success," said Mr Anthony Fofie,
Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board.
"Since February, the Ghana Cocoa Board has been actively engaged in
the programme's Steering Committee, helping to plan for the start of
activities in the 2010 growing season," he added.
"Making real progress against hunger and poverty starts with small
farmers," said Richards Rogers, Programme officer at the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation.
"Crops like cocoa, represents a critical portion of Africa's agricultural economy, and improving farmer knowledge and productivity, and the quality of the cocoa production, can help these farmers boost their yields and incomes so they can improve their lives."
The Cocoa Livelihoods Programme is managed by the World Cocoa
Foundation and implemented through a consortium of five organisations
including ASI - ACDI/VOCA, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture /Sustainable Tree Crops Programme, SOCODEVI and TechnoServe.
Funding for the programme comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the private sector: major branded manufacturers, The
Hershey Company, Kraft Foods and Mars, Incorporated; cocoa processors
Archer Daniels Midland Company, Barry Callebaut, Blommer Chocolate
Company and Cargill; and supply chain managers and allied industries
Armajaro, Ecom-Agrocacao, Noble Group, Olam International Ltd. and
Starbucks Coffee Company.
Additional support is provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Every participating country has a representative on the Steering
Committee.
Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation is a leader in
promoting economic and social development and environmental
stewardship in 15 cocoa-producing countries around the world.
With nearly 70- member companies from the Americas, Europe, and Asia and Africa, the Foundation actively supports a range of farm-level
programmes, harnessing sustainable agriculture practices to improve the
quality of life for the millions of smallholder farmers growing the
unique crop.
GNA