Ghana and neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire are coming under renewed pressure from the European Union and its French development partners to accelerate long-delayed reforms in the cocoa sector, amid warnings that both countries risk losing competitiveness under emerging global sustainability rules.
The call was issued at a two-day Cocoa4Future feedback workshop in Accra, where researchers presented extensive findings from the five-year EU and AFD-funded project examining agroforestry systems, disease control, certification schemes, farmer livelihoods and climate resilience across both countries.
EU officials were unequivocal: unless agroforestry adoption accelerates, deforestation is curbed, and labour-related risks addressed, West African cocoa could face growing barriers under new European sustainability rules and tightening buyer requirements.
Research findings presented at the workshop paint a complex picture of sector vulnerabilities—and clear pathways for reform. Multiple studies confirmed farmers’ strong preference for low to no-shade systems, which boost yields in the short term but reduce ecological resilience and long-term productivity.
The researchers underscored that widespread use of such systems undermines forest recovery and leaves cocoa landscapes highly fragile in the face of climate change.
On disease management, researchers warned that Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease remains pervasive, slashing yields by up to 202 kg per hectare in severely affected farms, while farmer-led control methods such as cutting infected portions or applying chemicals are largely ineffective.
The project recommends intensifying rehabilitation programmes, scaling the production of CSSVD-resistant seedlings, and expanding technical training for early detection.
Certification studies revealed that while Fairtrade and Organic schemes significantly boost yields, incomes and job creation, their impact on broader food security and working conditions remains uneven.
They further emphasised the need for cooperative strengthening, expanded extension services, access to affordable credit and more diversified buyer networks to enhance certification outcomes.
Across all themes, researchers urged governments to ramp up input distribution, clarify tree tenure rights, promote hybrid cocoa varieties, incentivise agroforestry adoption, and formalise support systems for farmer livelihoods from pensions to credit to modern farm equipment.
Development partners say these evidence-based recommendations are now critical as the global market shifts decisively toward traceable, climate-resilient and ethically sourced cocoa standards Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire risk falling behind if reforms stall.