Effects of cocoa swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) on the welfare of cocoa farmers in Ghana: evidence from Chorichori community of the Sefwi Akontombra district

Abstract

Cocoa farmers face many drawbacks to their socioeconomic progress. A vivid example is the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) which has caused mass destruction to many cocoa-growing areas like the Western North Region, where a larger portion of over 60% of Ghana's cocoa was produced. This study set out to find the effect of the CSSVD on the living standards of cocoa farmers in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was administered to elicit information from all 386 cocoa farming households of the study community in the study area, the epicenter of the disease. The study employed a Multidimensional Poverty Index as a measure of the farmers' welfare and estimated the simultaneous equation tobit model (Newey's two-step estimation) to find the socioeconomic implication of the disease on the cocoa farmers. The outcome of the study indicates that the CSSV disease as the main variable significantly affects the living standards of the cocoa farming households multidimensionally. This implies that the disease's incidence reduces crop yield leading to low resources, thereby adversely affecting households' welfare. Occupational diversity, educational level of the household head, knowledge of the disease, cocoa land size, households that had migrated to the study area, those that employ an external labour force, the log of household's expenditure, number of household members, age of households' head, access to farm water and participation off-farm activities were statistically significant on the depth of multidimensional poverty of the households. As policy measures, formal education and education on the disease's awareness should be intensified through frequent engagement with agriculture extension officers who will teach the farmers how to handle the disease. As a measure to alleviate multidimensional poverty, the use of external labour force should be encouraged for large-scale production. Finally, cocoa farmer households are to diversify to mitigate the impact of crop disease.

The effect of producer groups on the productivity and technical efficiency of smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana

“…The producer groups and their internal dynamics guarantee that various smallholder farmers are educated and trained on good agronomic practices and business practices to enhance safety, quality and productivity [30]. Cocoa farmers in the groups are typically trained on proper agricultural practices, soil management, planting, shade management, pruning, weeding, pest and disease control and prevention, adequate use of fertiliser, proper harvesting techniques and other cocoa cultivation-related activities [31]. Members are trained on safety practices, especially during agrochemical application, proper use of various farm tools and equipment, the dire impacts of child labour and many others [32][33][34].…”

Improving Support Systems for Cocoa Farmers beyond Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Infestation

“…This means that they have low incomes, problems with their health and the environment, crop loss from pests and diseases, falling or poor production that makes it difficult to obtain money, and low living standards (Keshavarz et al, 2013). Coupled with the problem of CSSVD, farmers are at a great loss (Agyeman-Boaten et al, 2021;Agyeman-Boaten, 2018).…”

“…Even though there have been some studies on CSSVD (Agyeman-Boaten et al, 2021;Andres, 2018;and Lartey, 2013), they have been conducted involving organizations representing Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and concentrate on the biophysical, biochemical, genomic, and biological characterization of the CSSVD causal agent. Few studies have looked at the association linking CSSVD and the living standards in cocoa regions that have been afflicted by the disease.…”