Ghana - Ministry of Food and Agriculture

In collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture and GIZ under the ComCashew project, Acorn is supporting smallholder cashew farmers to adopt inclusive agroforestry. The project design is centered around integrating cashew with suitable income-generating crops such as mango and moringa and providing farmers with the knowledge to switch to sustainable agriculture production.

The aim is to address climate change issues such as soil degradation and contribute to the afforestation of the savanna zone of the country, as well as to increase farmers’ income levels and alleviate poverty through the sale of carbon credits.

Farmers in the region mostly rely on cashews as their cash crop. More than 80% of these farmers earn below the per capita income in the country, which negatively impacts their access to quality education and good health care, with the latter resulting in high mortality rates.

Smallholder farmers from the Kintampo, Techiman, Wenchi, Bole, and Sawla districts were involved in the designing of the agroforestry project through effective consultation to determine their preferred crops and their combinations in the agroforestry. Meetings and workshops enabled farmers to share their feedback in an active discussion. During these sessions, not only men but also youths, the elderly, and women were present. For these groups, illiterate and elderly participants were included and supported by placing them with other participants. While this was promoted by the local partner, it also occurred organically, as there is strong support from (and for) fellow members of their community.

Planting cashew, mango, and moringa trees as well as food crops such as maize, cowpea, groundnut, and eggplants makes for an agroforestry design that protects crops, promotes biodiversity, and ensures availability of food throughout the years for the farm family.

Documentation available upon request.