Education, education, education Cocoa farming runs in the family, you know. Your typical cocoa farmer owns a smallholding which was probably passed down to him through the generations of his ancestors. And all the cocoa growing expertise of the generations has been handed down with it to ensure that every new generation can continue to make its livelihood from the golden pods.
That’s just fine, as a traditional fireside yarn goes, but we’d still be ploughing the fields behind a horse if we all worked that way. And Ghana has one of the finest Cocoa Research Institutes in the world, at the forefront of development when it comes to cocoa planting, pollinating and farm maintenance. But in between this fine Institute and our man in the village lies an enormous gaping void of opportunity. It was one we knew we could do something about.
“We heard from our friends on the ground in Ghana that the Research Institute provides very thorough training for Extension Officers, but there are simply no funds for sending them out into the field. These guys have all the best practice know-how but are restricted from spreading the word because no one can afford their services. I knew that this was something our Tasting Club members would want to hear about…” Lynn explains.
And she was right. The Tasting Club membership started to send in contributions and before we knew it, Joseph Kwabe, the Extension Officer for the Kwahu Praso region where we work, was furnished with a brand new motorbike to help him get about, a mobile phone for those crucial inter-village communications, and most importantly, an income to support him in his work. Now Joseph is spreading the word in more than 20 villages. His commitment to regular visits and his natural authority means that he is gaining the respect of even the most traditional practitioners on the farms. Small steps … big impact.
Read more about our St Lucia cocoa plantation here
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