The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has set up a text messaging programme to provide critical agricultural and social information to farmers with access to cell phones.
The programme, dubbed “CocoaLink – Connecting Cocoa Communities,' which is an innovative technology outreach programme with the World Cocoa Foundation and the Hershey Company, is expected to reach 100,000 Ghanaians in cocoa communities by 2014.
The programme is also expected to benefit families in communities to enable them to ask specific cocoa growing questions and share experiences with other farmers.
CocoaLink uses voice and SMS text messages delivered in the local language, Twi and English to connect cocoa farmers with useful information about improving farming practices, farm safety, health, crop disease prevention, post-harvest management practices and produce marketing, all at no charge.
Farmers will also be able to share information and receive answers to specific questions relating to their cocoa farming livelihoods with experts at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).
The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Mr Anthony Fofie, described the national roll out of CocoaLink by COCOBOD and their partners, The Hershey and the World Cocoa Foundation, as another outstanding example of how 'we are helping our farmers to become more knowledgeable and more productive”.
He said, CocoaLink had the potential to be one of the most innovative and cost effective agriculture extension tools. 'Through its practical information, strong literacy training and ease of use, we are quite confident that the CocoaLink will accelerate the transfer of knowledge, improving the lives of many Ghanaian farmers,' Mr Fofie said.
Since its introduction in March 2011, about 1,500 farmers in 15 Western Region communities have signed up.
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