Accra: Fairtrade Africa has called for the national adoption of the Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF) approach to help rehabilitate cocoa farms and address climate-related challenges confronting Ghana's cocoa sector. The call was made at a learning and exchange event organised under the Ghana Agroforestry for Impact (GAIM) project, implemented by Fairtrade Africa with support from Max Havelaar France and the French Development Agency (AFD France).
According to Ghana News Agency, the meeting offered participants and stakeholders the opportunity to learn about the DAF approach and provide inputs to enhance its implementation. Mr. Samuel Osei Kwadwo, Project Manager of GAIM at Fairtrade Africa, stated that scaling up the approach nationwide would help restore degraded cocoa farms, improve soil fertility, and build farmers' resilience against climate change.
Agroforestry is a sustainable land-use system that integrates trees with crops and sometimes livestock on the same land to improve productivity and environmental health. Mr. Kwadwo explained that erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and prolonged sunshine had reduced yields across many cocoa-growing areas, leaving several farms unproductive.
He noted that the DAF approach rehabilitates cocoa farms by integrating cocoa with fruit trees, timber species, and staple crops to diversify income sources and reduce farmers' dependence on cocoa alone. A key principle of the approach is 'slash without burning,' which increases soil fertility through organic matter incorporation while reducing carbon emissions.
The GAIM project, initiated in January 2024, is in its first phase ending in June 2026, with a second phase expected to run until 2029, focusing on scaling up the model to reach more farmers and cooperatives. Mr. Kwadwo mentioned that the project also had gender and youth components to encourage intergenerational participation in cocoa farming, noting that the average cocoa farmer in Ghana was about 55 years old.
The project provides free cocoa, timber, and fruit seedlings, as well as leguminous crops and technical support to participating farmers to ease the initial establishment of farms. Ms. Sarah Botton, Project Manager, Civil Society Division at AFD France, said the initiative aligned with the Agency's mandate to fight poverty and promote sustainable development.
The GAIM project seeks to promote climate resilience, diversify livelihoods, and support the rehabilitation of cocoa farms through sustainable agroforestry practices.