THE “GREEN GOLD”: HOW CLIMATE-SMART COCOA ACTIVITIES CAN DRIVE CLIMATE ACTION

Date: 26th August 2025

By Edward Kojo Asante

Ghana’s Cocoa cultivation, as described in this context as “Green Gold,” is more than just a cherished commodity for export to the European Union (EU) and Asian markets, as well as to satisfy confectionery markets in other countries. The commodity holds an untapped potential as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. As one of the country’s most important agricultural commodities, its cultivation requires a lot of dedication, good agronomic practices to ensure that the beans exported meet the standards of the international market.

With over 800,000 cocoa farmer households in Ghana, the commodity touches millions of lives while shaping landscapes and ecosystems across the nation. Emphasising its value for climate action requires rethinking how it is cultivated, processed, and consumed.

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), as the regulator of Ghana’s cocoa sector, in collaboration with international agencies, financial institutions, and other partners, has, over the years, been putting measures in place to address challenges in climate-smart cocoa activities. This has been achieved through the implementation of targeted policies, advocacy initiatives, sensitisation campaigns, and various strategic interventions. 

From pre-harvest to post-harvest stages, COCOBOD ensures that farmers adopt practices that protect the environment and support climate change mitigation. The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), a division of COCOBOD, ensures that cocoa farmers receive an eco-friendlier bean, disease tolerant and also easy-yielding beans that do not require more chemicals to keep them in good condition.

The Seed Production Division (SPD), another division, also ensures the multiplication of improved seedlings from their well-established Seed Gardens across the seven cocoa growing regions, i.e. Ashanti, Eastern, Western North, Western South, Brong Ahafo, Central and Volta regions and 70 cocoa districts.

Also, Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) ensures cocoa farmers adopt the best farming practices by integrating shade trees, adopting agroforestry systems, and using sustainable soil management practices to capture carbon, restore degraded land, and protect watersheds. 

These practices not only safeguard the environment but also build resilience against erratic weather patterns that threaten cocoa yields.

Beyond the farm, Ghana’s readiness to comply with the European Union Regulation on Deforestation ensures that Ghana’s Cocoa exported to the European market is traceable to ensure that every bean can be linked to sustainable production methods, i.e. deforestation-free, child labour-free and traceable. 

For Ghana, being the second-largest producer of cocoa in West Africa and other cocoa-producing nations, the transformation of green gold into a climate action driver is not just an environmental necessity but also an economic opportunity. 

Practicing Sustainable cocoa production opens more opportunities into the European markets, grants from foreign donors to help finance good climate practices such as training, carbon credit systems which are calculated, certified, and turned into credits, sold for income that will serve as an extra income to cocoa farmers, turning responsible farming to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and other actors along the value chain.

By investing in innovation, empowering farmers with knowledge, and promoting responsible consumption, cocoa can stand as a symbol of hope that sweetens lives while cooling the Earth. 

Also, with the right policies, partnerships, and passion, “green gold” can indeed power a greener future.