Yields of cocoa are declining in Ghana as climate change is bringing erratic rainfall, drought and unseasonal downpours.
Pests and diseases are also becoming more common across cocoa farms in the west African country’s Ahafo region, while monoculture farms which have no shade trees are being scorched by the sun.
As a result, seedlings are failing and yields are down, taking farmers “back to zero”, according to Gabriel Sie Kwadwo.
A cocoa farmer with a household of 10, Kwadwo said their standard of living has greatly reduced because of climate change.
In a bid to cut costs, some farmers are looking to switch to crops such as maize which is cheaper and quicker to produce and gives a similar return, as the effects of climate change are coinciding with the cost-of-living crisis.
To help tackle this, projects have been set up in Ghana such as a climate-friendly dynamic agroforestry cocoa scheme run by Fairtrade Africa, which plants cocoa seedlings by shade trees and other crops to protect yields, store carbon and provide income for farmers.
Climate advocate and trainer for the dynamic agroforestry programme, Ataa Gifty said that she feels “very worried” as she questions, “what is going to be our future with climate change.”
However, while Gifty has seen climate impacts on cocoa, she said her farm is doing better as a result of the scheme.
Cocoa farmer John Asaseba added: “If we don’t change, in 20 years’ time our children won’t have any future. Farmers are a part, governments are a part, the whole world – all these people are important to mitigate climate change.”
To tackle this, Fairtrade campaigners are calling on governments meeting at Cop27 in Egypt to provide the 100 billion US dollars in climate finance which has been promised to help poorer countries and communities on the front line of global warming.
Dynamic agroforestry scheme pioneer Lucy Twenewaa said that people can also help by purchasing more Fairtrade chocolate which pays higher prices for cocoa and a premium for farmers so that they can invest in their businesses and communities.
