Cocobod to produce the world’s first climate-smart cocoa beans

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), Dr. Stephen Opuni says Ghana is ensuring that it will produce the world’s first climate-smart cocoa beans, as well as generate substantial non-carbon benefits such as “improved livelihoods, sustainability and conservation of biodiversity”.
 

This is part of a broader strategy towards the implementation of  an environmental programme to significantly reduce deforestation and degradation in the country’s cocoa landscape beginning next year. The programme expected to end in 2021 is estimated to produce 316 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emission reduction

Speaking at the 22nd meeting of the Participants Committee of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility in Accra, Dr. Opuni said: “an integrated approach to facilitate large-scale changes in farming practices and land use decision making is required to reduce deforestation and degradation and promote forest growth”.

The benefits to farmers, he said will include access to cocoa farming resources and risk management, significant cocoa yield, premium pricing and alternative livelihoods through non-timber forest resources. 

The first climate-smart cocoa beans strategy is part of the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP) being coordinated by the Cocobod, and the National REDD+ Secretariat under the Forestry Commission’s National REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation + Conservation of Forests, Sustainable Forest Management and Enhancement of Carbon Stocks) initiative.

The programme is being implemented in partnership with other stakeholders, including civil society, traditional authorities and the public and private sectors.

The GCFRP will require farmers in hotspots of deforestation and degradation to, among other things, adopt climate smart cocoa practices, agree not to deforest and encroach, protect non-timber forest products at forest-fallow areas and institute forest protection rules. 

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, said in tackling climate change through initiatives such as REDD+, it is imperative to ensure that individual efforts were well coordinated towards the attainment of a broader goal for a better climate and environment for future generations.

Available data from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources shows that at the turn of the 20th century, the country’s forest cover stood at 8.2 million hectares but has reduced to about 1.6 million hectares presently.

Deforestation and land degradation open the country up for climate change impacts that include sea level rise, drought, the drying up of water bodies, erratic rainfall pattern and reduced crop yield.

The World Bank Country Director, Henry Kerali, applauding Ghana for pursuing REDD+ agenda urged the country to ensure that right policy initiatives are being implemented to meet the dual objective of sustainable forest use and socio-economic benefit for societies.  

“Today, the pursuit to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and address the challenges that countries face in finding solutions to protect the environment is at the forefront like never before. 

“This is a legitimate concern as countries such as Ghana grapple to find the right balance between their national development agenda and protecting their natural resources.  Like many others, the government of Ghana has consistently demonstrated its commitment to make efforts at addressing environmental challenges, including deforestation and forest degradation,” he said.  

the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility led by the World Bank, is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society and indigenous people focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+).

It assists countries in their REDD+ efforts by providing them with financial and technical assistance to build their capacity to benefit from possible future systems of positive incentives for REDD+.