HIGHLIGHTS
Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa beans in the world.
Cocoa encroachment into protected forests is increasing at an alarming rate in Ghana.
Immediate causes include agriculture and infrastructure expansion.
Underlying drivers include population growth, low cocoa productivity per unit area and inadequate cultivable land.
Several opportunities exist to halt further cocoa-driven deforestation.
SUMMARY
The study sought to unearth the immediate causes and underlying factors that fuel cocoa-driven deforestation in Ghana through four pathways: interviews, participatory rural appraisal techniques, facilitated community workshops and field observations in five forest-fringe and two admitted communities of Ghana's Ashanti and Western North Regions. The study found agricultural expansion and infrastructure extension to be the proximate causes of deforestation. These are driven by population growth, low cocoa productivity, inadequate cultivable land for cash and subsistence farming, abrupt shifts in government policies, droughts, wildfires, pests and diseases, land insecurity, limited alternative livelihoods in rural areas and lack of maintenance of admitted farm boundaries. The magnitude of the surge in cocoa encroachment in protected forests requires collaboration among diverse stakeholders and interlocutory action to stem the challenge while more holistic solutions are sought.
