Analysis of Farmers Adoption Behaviour of CRIG Recommended Technologies as a Package: The Case of Some Self Help Cocoa Farmer Associations in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Abstract

Adoption of recommended technologies as a package is the prelude to increase cocoa productivity per unit area. This is due to the interactive benefits of individual technologies which have been recommended by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). However, many surveys among cocoa farmers have reported low adoption of technologies resulting in low productivity of cocoa with an avera ge of 450 kg/ha among small holder cocoa farmers in Ghana. The current study investigates the adoption behavior of some cocoa farmers belonging to some self help farmer associations in the Eastern Region who are being monitored by CRIG since 2011. Primary data was collected from 131 respondents using questionnaires to interview farmers between 2013 and 2015. The results showed that adoption of recommended cocoa technologies as a package was still low. Respondents, however, identified a number of challenges including high cost of inputs, lack of finance and access to credit, high cost of labour and old age as some factors hampering composite adoption of the full CRIG technologies. It is recommended that small-scale cocoa farmers need a sustainable and convenient microfinance that can motivate and help them afford the cost associated with the full package of technologies. Farmers’ savings culture should also be nurtured to enhance their financial capabilities and investment in the cocoa farm.