The Influence of Land Tenurial Systems on Cocoa-Based Agroforestry Adoption Among Smallholder Cocoa Farmers in Eastern Ghana

Although cocoa-based agroforestry systems are essential for addressing climate change, deforestation and land degradation, only few attempts have been made to adopt cocoa agroforestry practices as a large-scale conservation practice in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores the effect of local land tenurial arrangements and socio-economic factors on the adoption of cocoa-based agroforestry systems in the Abuakwa South and North Municipalities of Eastern Ghana. The data was collected using a mixed method approach, which included a survey of 197 cocoa farmers and 5 focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistics regression and qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The results indicate that about 94% of farmers practice cocoa agroforestry on their primary or main cocoa farm rather than their secondary cocoa farms. Statistical analysis reveal that the existing land tenurial arrangements in the study communities namely inheritance, sharecropping arrangements, rental arrangements, outright purchase and gifts/donations insignificantly influence the adoption of cocoa agroforestry practices. The study found that older farmers and farmers with more farming experience may less likely adopt cocoa agroforestry practices. The study highlights the relevance of stakeholder and institutional support and context specific factors in the adoption of cocoa agroforestry practices. Future studies should investigate the socio-economic factors that influence adoption of cocoa-agroforestry systems in diverse contexts. Stakeholders should design educational materials and conduct regular training for cocoa farmers on how to manage trees on their farms to optimise cocoa agroforestry systems.