Browsing by Author "Duah, Nelson"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Contribution of cocoa certification to environmental management and protection in the Amenfi west municipality, Ghana
    (KNUST, 2019-07) Duah, Nelson
    The study examined cocoa certification in Amenfi West Municipality, its contribution to environmental management and protection. The study sought to determine the contribution of certification to environmental management and protection, levels of soil chemical properties (organic carbon, soil organic matter, soil pH, etc.) between systems of production, evaluated the perception of farmers on impact of voluntary standards and certification schemes on sustainability of cocoa production and verified the extent of management control plans on cocoa farms. The study obtained information from one hundred and fifty (150) respondents mainly through questionnaires. The results indicated that farmers of Utz and Rainforest Alliance were strongly convinced that voluntary certification had impacted on their production. It was realized that certified schemes help farmers get market for their produce, certification organizations give right prices or premium to cocoa produce. On management control plans adopted on cocoa farms, the study showed that certified farmers avoided the burning of bushes and forest in order to preserve organic life and save the forest. More so, Utz and RA certified farms had buffer zones between farms aquatic systems and areas of human activity from agrochemicals. The main aim is to protect contamination of water bodies. The results from conventional farms however showed that majority of them had no buffer zones. On agrochemical storage and the usage of protective gears for applying fertilizers and pesticides, the results showed that most certified farmers stored and kept agrochemicals in agro stores or temporal sheds compared to only a few conventional farmers who kept such chemicals in their kitchen and bedrooms. Among the recommendations made were that cocoa farmers employ resourced person to help explain such certification, its impacts and challenges to them before enrolling as there is more to these certified programmes than what cocoa farmers in the Amenfi West Municipality know. It was also recommended that training programmes on the use of agrochemicals and other harmful pesticides should be extended to non-certified farmers as they all fall or live within the same municipality and rely on each other. Training non certified farmers will go a long way to safeguard water bodies and other environmental issues.