COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA

TERRESTRIAL FOOD SYSTEM

INDEX
01. Introduction

02. System Characteristics

Where is it located?

How does the system work?

03. Inputs & Outputs

04. System Diagram

05. System Impacts

Environmental Impacts

Socio-cultural Impacts

06. Compare & Contrast

 INTRODUCTION
Ghana is internationally known for its cocoa production and trade. It is the second
largest cocoa exporter in the world, after the Ivory Coast. The contribution of the
cocoa industry to the Ghanaian economy is significant. It dominates the
agricultural sector and contributes about 30% of the country’s export earnings.
SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

The production of cocoa begins in the

tropical regions around the Equator.
Farmers grow cocoa trees on small farms in
tropical environments, within 15-20 degrees
north and south of the equator, where the
climate is hot and humid. In this zone, the
rainfall is ideal for cocoa at 1500-2000mm,
with a dry season of about for months.

In Ghana, cocoa production occurs in the

country’s forested areas: Ashanti, Brong-
Ahafo, Central region, Eastern region,
Western Region, and Volta.
HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK?

Cocoa Production in Ghana is predominantly

done in full-sun plantations. This methodology,
where crops are exposed to direct sunlight, yields
a greater quantity of agricultural outputs in a
shorter period of time. Cocoa Production is also a
monocultural farming system, a type of intensive
agriculture technique that has proven to be
unsustainable. Cocoa trees grow in rows with no
shade nor interaction with other plant species.

The agricultural season begins in October, with a

smaller mid-crop cycle beginning in July.
HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK?
USE OF AGROCHEMICALS
Direct sunlight makes crops more
susceptible to diseases and pests.
Farmers use large amounts of
herbicides/pesticides (aerosols)
Soil quality degrades requiring fertilizers to
maintain production.
SOIL TILLAGE MODIFICATIONS
Use of harmful farm tools or mechanical
implements for seedbed preparation.
PLANT PROPAGATION/CLONING
Farmers use duplication of the mother plant
originating from asexual reproduction.
The goal is to have a uniform and consistent
yield that fulfills the commercial need for a
mass international market.
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
Full-sun plantations are consistently
irrigated.
Water evaporates before it reaches the
crops, leading to salinization.
SYSTEM INPUTS & OUTPUTS
INPUTS OUTPUTS

Environmental Cocoa Fruits

Sunlight Habitat Destruction
Rainfall Soil Erosion
Land (Nutrients) Crop Residues
Leaf litter Leaching

External
Labor
Machinery
Herbicides
Fertilizer
Artificial Irrigation
 SYSTEM DIAGRAM

COCOA PRODUCTION AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM

 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
SOIL DEGRADATION
Full-sun plantations require large
amounts of herbicides/pesticides.
The herbicides used damage the
land and the health of the soil
degrades, causing toxification.
Water administered by irrigation
systems often does not reach the
crops. The water evaporates,
making the soil undergo
salinization. This makes the land
unsuitable for growing crops.
EUTROPHICATION
Soil fertility reduces as it is
depleted of nutrients, demanding
fertilizers to maintain production.
Fertilizers form nitrogen
compaction layers in soil and
cause long-term soil degradation.
High compaction decreases
porosity while increasing density
and soil penetration resistance.
Consequently, production yield
diminishes.
DEFORESTATION
This reduction in production
results in the abandonment of
plantations and the shift of the
agricultural frontier towards the
surrounding forests, resulting in
deforestation and rainforest
degradation process. By clearing
land in these forests, farmers
decrease the biodiversity. Many
wildlife habitats are destroyed and
the plant species diversity is
reduced.
SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS
Environmental harms proliferate in the cocoa
industry and are often intertwined with
human rights abuses and social challenges.

CHILD LABOR
Farmers in Ghana use child labor to help with
growing, harvesting, and transporting cocoa
beans. During the 2013-14 season, an estimated
2 million children were used for hazardous.
Increasing world demand and more intensive
farming of cocoa are reasons why the
exploitation of children continues today.

ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
Ghana is a world leader in cocoa production.
Nonetheless, it earns only 2% of the $100 billion
chocolate industry's profits. Most cocoa farmers
make less than a dollar a day – and many female
cocoa farmers make only around 30 cents a day.
CONTRAST
COCOA AGROFORESTRY IN BRAZIL

Brazil is the 7th largest cocoa producer in the

world. Brazilian cocoa is produced in
agroforestry systems. The agroforestry
system, also called cabruca system in Brazil,
is an artificial imitation of a natural forest
ecosystem where cocoa grows with other
fruit and trees providing shade and affecting
climate, humidity and soil. It maintains the
biodiversity of the flora and the fauna, can
re-establish part of the destroyed forest
reserves and protects the soil from the
damage caused by sun, wind, and rain.

From an economic point of view, it improves

farmers livelihood by differentiating their
source of income, and contributing to the
family food security.
 COMPARISON
FULL-SUN SYTEM COCOA
PRODUCTION IN GHANA
Short-term higher productivity
Plants are more susceptible to
pests and diseases
Use of plan cloning/propagation
Deforestation, biodiversity loss,
soil fertility depletion, and soil
degradation.
Reliance on cocoa yields twice a
year
Dependence on agrochemicals
CABRUCA SYSTEM COCOA
PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL
Lower productivity
Naturally more disease-resistant
plants
Cocoa variety preservation
Rainforest conservation,
biodiversity, improved soil health,
and climate change mitigation
Farmers differentiated income,
food security
No agrochemicals
 THANK YOU!
BY ALICE PAREDES

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