Farmers are knowledgeable about the benefits of trees in cocoa agroforestry establishment. However, observations of most cocoa farms in Ghana clearly indicates that most farmers do not apply the knowledge set held about the importance of incorporating trees for optimum shade in their farms. The issue therefore is not about inadequate knowledge of the benefits of trees but how to overcome the barriers related to policies on tree ownership rights. This collaborative project by IDH, Resource Management Support Center (RMSC) and other Cocoa and Forest initiative signatories to pilot tree registration is intended to operationalize the tree ownership right to enable farmers to register their trees into the Forestry Commission national database. The project resonates with the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI), which is an active commitment by the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and major cocoa and chocolate companies. Central to the initiative is a commitment to stop further conversion of any forestland and zero production and sourcing of cocoa from protected areas. By signing a Joint Framework for Actions (Joint Framework for Action) in November 2017, companies and governments pledged to eliminate illegal cocoa production in national parks and forest reserves, in line with stronger enforcement of national forest policies and the development of alternative livelihoods for affected farmers.
In Ghana, the initiative is hosted by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Environment (MLNR) and facilitated by IDH and the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF). The initiative has three thematic areas (i) Forest protection and restoration, (ii) Sustainable production and farmers livelihood, (iii) Community Engagement and Social Inclusion.Land and tree tenure policy reforms is one of the commitments that cut across all the three (3) pillars of CFI but the challenge has been the operationalization of a national database system that allows farmers to register their trees and be issued with relevant documentation from Forestry Commission to proof ownership right. A number of CFI signatories including Touton, Kuapa Kokoo, Barry Callebaut, Mondelez, and Cargill has expressed interest to collaborate with IDH and RMSC/Forestry Commission to co-create a project to pilot a tree registration for farmers within their supply chain to register their trees into Forestry Commission national database.
Principal Objective
To operationalize tree ownership right for 1000 smallholder cocoa farmers through the registration of trees into Forestry Commission National database and issued with relevant documentation to demonstrate ownership right by November 2023.
Specifically
- To sensitize about 15,000 smallholder farmers on the needs and benefits to register their trees on farm through an interactive radio program from October to November 2023
- Develop a cost calculation for farmers to obtain tree ownership right documentation.
- Agreement with CFI signatories on the service delivery model and cost distribution on the support to farmers to obtain tree ownership right documentation.
Geographical Scope and Specific Tasks
- The Tree Registration pilot will be implemented in selected cocoa growing communities in the Tarkwa District in the Western Region of Ghana. The details of the community and the names of the potential beneficiary farmers, farm locations, farm sizes, contact details and all other relevant.
- The specific project activities will include farmer sensitization, data collection training, tree Registration data collection, verification and validation and issuance of relevant tree ownership right documentation for farmers to ownership of trees on their farmers.
