The training will be delivered in partnership with Ghanaian licensed cocoa buying company Akuafo Adamfo and the non-governmental organisation Solidaridad West Africa.
This programme aims to train 15,000 farmers and support cocoa farming communities over the next four years in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana.
In Farmer Field Schools, farmers will receive extensive training to help them rejuvenate cocoa farms and apply best agricultural practices related to pest control, harvest and post-harvest practices.
The initiative will also cover social issues like raising awareness of HIV and the importance of schooling for children. Crucially the program will help strengthen farmer organisations and encourage knowledge sharing among cocoa growers. All training will be in accordance with the UTZ Certified Code of Conduct.
Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, managing director of Cargill Ghana, said: “Helping farmers adopt better farming practices so they can improve the quality and size of their yields is a central part of the Cargill Sustainable Cocoa Programme. Over the next four years, these training activities will help Ghanaian cocoa farmers to achieve better results and benefit from achieving UTZ certification.”
The target for the first year is to train 5,000 farmers to become independently certified. By 2016 the program aims to have significantly improved agricultural practices adopted by farmers and farmer organisations.
Source: Cargill
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