From the Special Correspondent in Ghana
They collect cocoa beans daily, but they rarely get their hands on the final product – chocolate.
When we give the cocoa farmers we meet in Ghana a few bars of chocolate that we bought in the Czech Republic, they fight over who will be able to take them and take a picture with them.
They then carefully divide them into small pieces and taste them. “Its very good, it tastes sweet,” says Comforth Tetteh, one of the growers here.
We are in a remote community in the Konogo area, which is about two hours away from the regional capital, Kumasi.
Farmers from the Konogo area with Way to go chocolate, which is made from cocoa grown by them.
West African Ghana is one of the largest producers of cocoa in the world, along with the Ivory Coast, but for Comforth and most of the locals, this delicacy is a rarity.
While the average Czech household consumes around nine kilograms of chocolate per year, Ghanaians indulge in it roughly onc a year. They have to carefully consider each purchase of chocolate, because for the same price they can have rice that can feed a family of several for a week.
In addition to the drawing of the cocoa bean, the packaging of the chocolate imported from the Czech Republic, which they are currently eating, is decorated with the Fairtrade icon, i.e. the certification that guarantees that it was produced sustainably and under decent working conditions.
Although they are seeing the mentioned tables for the first time,they immediately recognize the Fairtrade logo. They know it means a better price for their work, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into more chocolate for them.## From Car to Bike: ghanaian Cocoa Farmers Seek Sustainable Futures
Photo: Daniel pražák
Cocoa farmers from the Konogo region.
Photo: Daniel Pražák
Fanteakwa Growers cooperative President Ofori Gyekye kennedy.
In the past, drinking water stations, schools and other facilities were created here thanks to the Fairtrade system. Locals had the prospect to participate in educational programs that helped them acquire IT skills or intervened against child labor.
Fairtrade also participated in improving biodiversity and planting trees. That’s all gone now.
Driven by a strong religious faith, local growers are now facing a harsh reality as the benefits of Fairtrade dwindle, leaving them vulnerable to market fluctuations and struggling to make a sustainable living. The promise of a better future, once symbolized by the Fairtrade label, is fading, replaced by uncertainty and a growing sense of disillusionment.
Ghana’s Cocoa farmers Face Ruin as Climate Change and Disease Take Hold
George Ansah has been growing cocoa for over a quarter of a century and is also active as a priest in the local community. On his plantation,he randomly leads us to one of the trees that has cocoa beans with dark spots on them – a sign of black rot infection and that they cannot be used any further. We see dozens of similar ones around us. “Every year, I can lose up to half of the harvest because of the infection,” he describes.
The much larger Kuapa Kokoo team, which has over 100,000 members, is also strongly feeling the decline. “When we need rain, it doesn’t come. And then it starts raining at a time when it’s no longer suitable,” explains Frank K. Okyere, who is in charge of issues related to the environment in the cooperative, and therefore also mitigating the effects of climate change.
According to him, a number of previously prosperous cocoa farms have disappeared in the past due to climate change. In some areas, the conditions are simply not favorable anymore, he explains, adding that more and more growers may experience this in the future. “If we don’t mitigate the effects of climate change, we will lose cocoa farming and have to replace it with something else,” he admits.
Illegal Mining and Deforestation Threaten Ghanaian Cocoa Farms
ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, is facing a growing crisis as illegal gold mining and deforestation encroach upon its valuable cocoa farms. The activities are disrupting livelihoods, polluting water sources, and destroying the environment.
The problem is particularly acute in the Ashanti region, where manny farmers report that illegal miners, known as “galamseyers,” are destroying cocoa trees in search of gold.These miners frequently enough operate with little regard for environmental regulations or the rights of landowners.
Ofori, the president of a farming cooperative, describes how illegal miners initially came seeking permission to search for gold on his land. He granted their request, but they couldn’t find any gold, so they moved on.
the impact of illegal mining is also felt daily by the fact that he can no longer use the nearby spring for irrigation as it is indeed polluted. They have to take water from home, which is more expensive financially.
Recently, the locals have been worried about the illegal felling of trees, which takes place at night, when the plantations are usually unguarded.As a result, farmers gradually lose the shady environment that is important for growing cocoa.
How widespread the problem is is also illustrated by the fact that Ghana recently decided to introduce a tree registry where people sign newly planted trees.
