CocoaLink
connecting cocoa communities
CocoaLink is a unique program that uses low-cost mobile technology
to deliver practical agricultural and social information to rural cocoa
farmers in West Africa. CocoaLink enables any farmer in Ghana and
Cte dIvoire to receive and share practical information. The program
draws on current WCF program work, both in cocoa farming
communities where education and livelihoods trainings are being
implemented, as well as with institutional and government partners
to enhance and complement farmer benefits. Information shared
includes good farming practices, farm safety, child labor, health, pest
and disease prevention, post-harvest handling, and crop marketing,
delivered at no cost through voice and SMS text messages. Data is
also collected through the CocoaLink system for monitoring and
evaluation purposes.
Sometimes, people come round and say you should
use certain chemicals, and you dont know if that
is trustworthy. The messages from CocoaLink are
trustworthy. Also with CocoaLink, you can get feedback
and verify the information given.
hayford n. adarkwa
Ghana Cocoa Farmer
Contributing Partners
The Hershey Company: Initial funding provided for
CocoaLink in Ghana and Cte dIvoire
World Cocoa Foundation: WCF-ECHOES, WCF-CLP,
WCF-ACI
Implementing Partners
CocoaLink Ghana: Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD);
Centre for Community Studies, Action and
Development (CENCOSAD); DreamOval; World
Education, Inc. (WEI)
CocoaLink Cte dIvoire: Le Conseil du Caf-Cacao
(CCC), Cte dIvoire Agence Nationale dAppui au
Dveloppement Rural (ANADER); World Education
Inc. (WEI)
Cocoa in West & Central Africa
Approximately 70% of the worlds cocoa
currently comes from West and Central
Africa. The vast majority of this cocoa is
grown on nearly two million small, independent family farmers that are less than
2 hectares (5 acres) in size. African cocoa
farmers face a number of challenges: low
yields, pest and diseases that attack their
cocoa trees, difficulty in obtaining farming supplies, and limited access to credit.
They also face low levels of literacy and
access to relevant information.
Ghanaian cocoa farmer at a CocoaLink Training
Program Accomplishments to Date
CocoaLink in Ghana has reached over 16,000 users, including more
than 4,500 women farmers, and is expected to reach 100,000 cocoa
farmers in 2014. Mobile-phone networks cover almost 85% of Ghanas
rural geography, making mobile-phone based agricultural extension
services a valuable tool that is being used to reach many previously
unaided farmers.
CocoaLink in Cte dIvoire is expected to reach more than 100,000
cocoa farmers. Cocoa farmers in existing WCF programs, company member programs, and in government extension programs are registered, and
any cocoa farmer can enroll to receive messages via short code.
CocoaLink is exploring additional services that support literacy,
livelihoods, and local capacity building efforts in Ghana and Cte
dIvoire. Mobile banking, data exchange and collection, agricultural
input messaging, and other premium enhanced services that financially
sustain the program messaging are examples.
CocoaLink addresses these issues by
providing low-cost mobile services that
enhance farmer knowledge on good
agricultural and management practices.
Farmers apply and adopt the knowledge,
resulting in increased yields and
incomes.
Farmers use their phones to access
information and use the information
in ways that impact their farming and
business practices with proven results.
Studies on mobile agricultural extension
services so far have found that demand
driven information complemented by
participatory programs creates tangible
change for smallholder farmers.
Cole, Shawn A., and A. Nilesh Fernando. The Value of
Advice: Evidence from Mobile Phone-Based Agricultural
Extension. Harvard Business School Finance Working
Paper. 13.047 (2012): 1-31. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international membership foundation that promotes a sustainable cocoa
economy by providing cocoa farmers with the tools they need to grow more and better cocoa, market it successfully,
and make greater profits. WCFs membership includes cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain
managers, and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80% of the global cocoa market.
U.S. Headquarters 1411 K Street, NW, Suite 1300, Washington, D.C. 20005 U.S. t +1 202 737 7870
Ghana Office Hse. No. 4, Blackberries Street, East Legon, PMB MD 217, Madina, Accra Ghana t/f +233 302 542 187
Abidjan Office Il Plateaux 7eme Tranche, rue L54, Abidjan, Cote dIvoire t +225 22 52 37 32
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