{"id":664,"date":"2020-11-05T10:36:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T10:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cifor.org\/gml\/?p=664"},"modified":"2020-11-18T15:41:53","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T15:41:53","slug":"postcards-from-the-field-learning-from-small-scale-farmers-to-become-a-sustainable-cocoa-agripreneur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cifor.org\/gml\/postcards-from-the-field-learning-from-small-scale-farmers-to-become-a-sustainable-cocoa-agripreneur\/","title":{"rendered":"Postcards from the field: Learning from small-scale farmers to become a sustainable cocoa \u2018agripreneur\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Margaret Arwari<\/p>\n\n\n\n

30 October 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou in a cocoa field. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou is a second-year MPhil in agribusiness student at the University of Ghana\u2019s College of the Basic and Applied Sciences. He was born and raised in Ho, a small city in the Volta Region of Ghana, an area notable for its extraordinary scenic beauty. Drovou comes from a family of subsistence farmers, which motivated him to pursue degrees related to agriculture both at undergraduate and graduate levels. \u2018\u2019I gained a lot of practical experience in agriculture at home,\u2019\u2019 said the 27-year-old student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since October 2020, Drovou has been working as a field enumerator with the Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Center (FOHCREC) of the University of Ghana. Part of the project Governing Multifunctional Landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa<\/a> (GML), funded by the European Union and coordinated by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), his assignment consists of interviewing small-scale cocoa farmers in order to learn more on the effect of sustainable production practices on their productivity and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research focuses on cocoa farmers in the Kwaebibirem district, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana,  near the Atewa forest range<\/a> \u2013 a protected area rich in biodiversity that is threatened by agricultural expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photos: Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou interviews cocoa farmers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am learning a lot from these farmers,\u201d said Drovou. \u201cFor example, when the farmers plant cocoa seedlings, they intercrop cocoa with plantain, cassava and cocoyam. These food crops act as shade for the cocoa seedlings until the trees mature and form a canopy. However, these crops are mostly eaten at home and do not represent an alternative source of income for farmers, since they depend largely on cocoa production,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cocoa production is overall good business, according to Drovou. \u201cSome farmers reported reinvesting the income of bumper cocoa harvests in more cocoa production in the following seasons,\u201d he said. \u201cOther farmers acknowledged that in the past they had to downsize their land or sell some parcels because they were facing some challenges. But now they are ready to expand and acquire more land for cocoa production.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As farmers strive to expand their cocoa production and improve productivity, we need to prevent further deforestation of the nearby Atiwa forest, warned Drovou. \u201cWe need to ensure that forests continue delivering benefits for people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drovou dreams of becoming an \u2018agripreneur\u2019 and create businesses in the agriculture field that can support livelihoods and sustainable food production. \u201cThe research that I am conducting with FOHCREC and CIFOR will help me better understand the cocoa agribusiness space, and who knows, perhaps I can come up with business ideas that can help solve some of the sustainability challenges in the sector,\u201d said Drovou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked why he wants to support sustainable agriculture and protect Ghana\u2019s forests, the student answered: \u201cOn the route to my hometown, I go through Dodowa, a beautiful forest with thousands of important herbs. Nothing can beat the kind of serenity and breeze I experience when I visit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou conducts a plot survey in a cocoa farm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Margaret Arwari 30 October 2020 Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou is a second-year MPhil in agribusiness student at the University of Ghana\u2019s College of the Basic and Applied Sciences. He was born and raised in Ho, a small city in the Volta Region of Ghana, an area notable for its extraordinary scenic beauty. Drovou comes from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.cifor.org\/gml\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/11\/postcard.jpg","yoast_head":"\r\nPostcards from the field: Learning from small-scale farmers to become a sustainable cocoa \u2018agripreneur\u2019 - Governing Multifunctional Landscapes<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Postcards from the field: Learning from small-scale farmers to become a sustainable cocoa \u2018agripreneur\u2019 - Governing Multifunctional Landscapes\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: Margaret Arwari 30 October 2020 Emmanuel Asiwome Drovou is a second-year MPhil in agribusiness student at the University of Ghana\u2019s College of the Basic and Applied Sciences. 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