Community Extension Agents (CEAs) in Western North Region Trained in Climate Smart Cocoa Practices to ensure Sustainable Cocoa Production

This is the first time all CEAs in the Western North Region under CHED have been brought together for such comprehensive training on climate-smart cocoa practices. The one-day training and experience sharing workshop was organized through a collaboration between Tropenbos Ghana (under its Green Livelihoods Alliance Programme) and the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) - Western North Region. Speaking at the event, Regional Manager of CHED - Western North Region, Mr. Kwame Owusu Ansah lauded the collaborative effort of both parties in making practical climate change issues in cocoa extension delivery. On his part, Mr. Joseph Asante (Senior Project Officer - Tropenbos Ghana), reiterated cocoa vulnerability to climate change/variability and its associated impacts. He therefore called for concerted stakeholder effort to enhance access to tailor-made climate change information, training, and practical skills to enhance sustainable production.

From the training, it is expected that CEAs with improved capacity in climate-smart cocoa practices will bring to bear such lessons in extension delivery to cocoa farmers in the Western North Region. Subsequently, CEAs will not merely have improved capacity on climate-smart cocoa practices but also, make climate-smart practices routine aspect in their extension delivery. Together with other interventions such as provision of tree seedlings, awareness on climate change, etc., cocoa farmers will have improved skills and knowledge to cope with climate change/variability for sustainable cocoa production, and resilient livelihoods, while also contributing to climate change mitigation efforts as outlined in Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs).