3^rd Global Food Security, Food Safety & Sustainability Conference

Biography

Biography: Dr Jones Arthur

Abstract

Cocoa Production in Nigeria had witnessed a rapid decline in the past two and a half decades mainly as a result of focus shift due to the oil boom since the late 1970s (Idowu, 2007). Nevertheless, agriculture especially cash crops export and particularly cocoa remains a substantial foreign exchange earner for the country. Cocoa is sourced from several regions around the world; West Africa is the largest producer, making up 70 percent of the world cocoa. The West African nation of Cot de voire alone grows 40 percent of the global supply of cocoa, with Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria being the other major producers in the region (International Cocoa Organisation, 2007).  Nigeria is one of the principal producers and is ranked among the five largest producers of cocoa in the world. Cocoa is a perennial tree crop produced mainly in the tropical countries. Currently, production is concentrated in the West African Countries like Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon. These countries collectively produce 70% of the world cocoa. In 2010/2011 season Cote d’ Ivoire led the world in cocoa production with 35% followed by Ghana, Indonesia and Nigeria (International Cocoa Organisation, 2012).

Table 1: World Cocoa Production (2010/2011)

Source: International Cocoa Organisation, (2012).

Cocoa is essential to the livelihood of 40-50 million people worldwide including over 5 million small holder cocoa farmers who grow the valuable crop (Adebile and Amusan, 2011). Cocoa plays an important role in most countries as a source of foreign exchange and creation of jobs for an estimated fourteen million people (International Cocoa Organisation, 2007). Cocoa is mostly produced in 14 of the 36 States in Nigeria. The main producing states aside from Cross River in the South South are located in the South West of the country with major producing areas located in Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti Oyo States. Nwachukwu et al. (2010) identified low yields, ageing cocoa producing trees, inconsistent production patterns, disease incidence, pest attack and limited agricultural mechanization as key factors leading to decreasing cocoa production in Nigeria. In terms of yield, compared to other cocoa producing countries, Nigeria’s present yield is among the lowest, together with Ghana and Cameroon, while Cote d’Ivoire is the best performing country in West Africa in terms of yield while Indonesia is the best performer at the global level in terms of yield (Cadoni, 2013). This poor trend in yield, quality and monetary returns calls for the introduction of certification in cocoa production. Certification is a procedure by which an independent body gives a certificate that a farm, farmer group, processing facility, trader, importer or exporter has been assessed and is adhering to specific standards. The certification is intended to guarantee that the cocoa sold under the seal of a standard organization such as Fair Trade International (FLO), UTZ Certified, or Rainforest Alliance (RA) actually originated from a farm or operation that produces according to the relevant standards. Certification thus guarantees the authenticity and the integrity of sustainably produced cocoa being purchased by consumers. Participation in markets for certified cocoa represents a good income generation opportunity for small farmers in developing countries. However, for famers to avail themselves of this opportunity they would have to comply with voluntary quality and safety standards and procedures. According to Vogel (2009) the main objective of certified cocoa production is to improve the living conditions of cocoa farmers through the production of sustainable certified cocoa. Increasing farmers’ awareness of the environmental consequences of food contamination through poor farm practices resulted in a growing demand for the involvement of cocoa farmers in environmentally-friendly practices through certification. Certified cocoa production systems are distinguished by their adherence to a set of production and social standards promulgated by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). Cocoa output within this category is differentiated by a certificate issued by a recognized certification body that ensures standards have been met. Certified cocoa is differentiated on the basis of practices that are deemed environmentally sustainable and conserving of biodiversity. The broad objective of this study is therefore to assess cocoa farmers’ awareness and involvement in cocoa certification programme in enhancing cocoa productivity in Ogun State, Nigeria.

1.4 Specific Objectives are to;

i.                    ascertain the socio-economic characteristics of cocoa farmers in the study area;

ii.                  examine  respondents’ awareness of cocoa certification programme;

iii.                identify respondents’ sources of information on cocoa certification;

iv.                ascertain the level of farmers involvement in the cocoa certification programme;

v.                  identify the constraints associated with involvement in cocoa certification programme.

The hypotheses of the study were stated in null form:

H_01: There is no significant relationship between the socio economic characteristics of the respondents and level of involvement in the cocoa certification programme in the study area.

H_02:  There is no significant relationship between the constraints affecting cocoa farmers and their involvement in the cocoa certification programme in the study area

METHODOLOGY

The study was carried out in Ogun state, Nigeria. The state is situated among the Southwestern states of Nigeria, with a landmass of 16,409.26 square kilometers. The study area has 20 Local Government Areas, with a total of 4,054,272 (National Population Commission (NPC), 2006). Purposive random sampling was used to select two Local Government Areas namely; Yewa North and Odeda based on the high concentration of cocoa farmers in the two locations. Yewa  and Odeda people are predominantly farmers, common crops grown in the local governments include,  arable crops like cassava, maize, yam among others and cash crops like cocoa, oil palm, coffee and kola nuts.

Sampling Procedure and Sample Size

Yewa North Local Government Area was purposively selected for this study based on the a prior information that the local government area is the second largest cocoa producer in Ogun State. There are eleven wards in Yewa north Local Government Area. Four wards namely: Imasayi, Ibese, Igbogila, Joga, were purposively selected based on the high population of cocoa farmers in these wards.

Measurement of Variables

Age, household size, farming experience were measured at ratio level while sex, educational status, membership of association, marital status, sources of capital, labour, and constraints were measured at nominal level. Similarly, awareness, was measured as Yes (2), No (1). Level of respondents’ involvement in cocoa certification programme were measured as High Involvement (3), Moderate Involvement (2), No Involvement (1) and measured at nominal level.

Data Collection and Analysis

The instrument used for the data collection was subjected to face and content validity by consulting experts in the field of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. Items found ambiguous were removed. Test re-test was carried out with twenty (20) cocoa farmers who were not part of this study to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. The reliability of r = 0.76 which was significant indicating high internal consistency of the instrument used for this study. Simple descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean and frequency counts were used to analyze the objectives while chi-square; t-test was used to test the hypotheses of the study.

Results and discussion

The results in Table 1 revealed that majority (58.9%) of the respondents were above 40 years of age. About thirty percent (28.9%) of the respondents were between 31 – 40 years of age while only very few (12.20%) were less than 30 years of age. The average age of the respondents was 30.8 years. This indicates that the respondents are young and active. It corroborates the findings of Omoare and Oyediran, (2015) that people within this age bracket are economically active and possess the requisite energy for agricultural production. The results showed that most (92.2%) of the respondents were male while few (7.8%) were female in cocoa production. This is possible because cocoa farming is a tedious which makes more men to dominate in its production than compare to the women who carry out processing and marketing of cocoa bean. Majority (70%) of the respondents had secondary school education but 13.3% proceeded to tertiary education while 16.7% attended primary school. This implies that all the respondents have some level of formal education which could be advantage to adjust to new practices and got certification.the date assessed.rces.ll make available to Ngerians cost effective and envirinmentally ces. On the other hand government policy The result indicated that the household size of most (71.1%) of the respondents was 1 - 4 people while 28.9% had 5 – 8 people. Meanwhile, the average household size was 6 members. This shows that the household size of respondents was relatively large. Adegbite et al. (2007) cited in Omoare and Oyediran (2015) reported that large households’ size is an important factor in any rural areas because it provides the manpower for farm and other household activities. Also, the result showed that 31.1% of the respondents had spent less than 5 years in cocoa farming while many (63.3%) had been in cocoa farming for more than 11 years while. The mean year of experience in cocoa farming was 8.06 years. This shows that the respondents have been in cocoa farming for quite a long time. Above forty percent (44.1%) of the respondents cultivated more than 10 hectares of farm land, the implication of this is that cocoa farming is practiced on large scale in the study area. Only very few (12.2%) of the respondents cultivated less than 5 hectares for cocoa. The result disagrees to the findings of Kolawole, (2007) cited in Oyediran, (2013) which states that many rural farmers cultivate less than 3 hectares, Nigeria. The result on land acquisition revealed that 40.5% of the respondents inherited cocoa farms while 19.8% bought the farms. However, 14.4% and 6.3% respondents occupied the land as leaseholders and tenants respectively. This practice reflects the ageing cocoa farming with attendant low yield in Nigeria. Also, about fifty percent of the respondents were members of Cocoa Farmers Association (CFAN). Being a member of association exposes the farmers to many opportunities like credits, technology and certification. The result further showed that respondents got money through their personal savings (38.7%), cooperative (22.5%), and friends and family (19.8%) for the cocoa production in the study area. The finding agrees with Ajagbe et al. 2014 and Oyediran, 2013 that rural farmers do not have access to credit from financial institution but rather relied on cooperatives, friends and families and their personal savings which has inhibited their production capacity. Above fifty percent (52.2%) of the respondents were into full-time cocoa farming while others (28.8%) of the respondents were doing part-time farming. Most (65.6%) of the respondents generated ₦100,000 – 300,000/annum while 23.3% realized more than ₦300,000/ annum.  The average income generated from cocoa was ₦223,000.

Table 2: Distribution of respondents according to their socio economic characteristics (n = 90)

Source: Field survey, 2016

Awareness of cocoa certification programme

According to Chartrand (2005) consumer's awareness (either consciously or unconsciously) precedes the control, modification, elimination and change in human behaviours and decisions. Thus, effective consumer behaviuor can only be materialized through awareness. Therefore, to participate in cocoa certification or not will first depend on the awareness of the members of the cocoa farmers. Result showed that majority (66.7%) of the respondents was aware of the cocoa certification while 33.3% were not aware of the cocoa certification. This is possible because of their high level of literacy.

Table 2: Awareness of cocoa certification programme (n = 90)

Source of information on cocoa certification programme

This study identified various sources of information available to cocoa farmers in the study area. Sources ranging from fellow farmers, extension agents, friends and neighbors, farmers union, health workers, radio/television, research institutes, internet and newspapers/magazines. The result showed that respondents accessed information through cocoa farmers association (33.3%), fellow farmers (24.4%), local buying agent (17.7%), and radio/television (15.6%) in the study area. Information is one of the most valuable resources for the development and progress of any enterprise. Abiona, (2010) opined that farmers sources of information have influence in the decision to accept or reject a technology.

Table 3: Respondents source of information on cocoa certification programme (n = 90)

Source: Field survey, 2016

Involvement

The four internationally accepted Standards Bodies are Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, Rainforest Alliance, Certified Organic, and UTZ Certified. These standards are defined after consultation and in close cooperation with various stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain, including farmers. Standards Bodies advise farmers on how to implement better farming practices, establish protocols on dealing with environmental and social issues, implement auditing and third party verification on these issues, and communicate to consumers at the end of the trade chains, thereby creating a necessary level of assurance.

More specifically, better market access for small holder farmers; increasing the income of farm households; improving the living and working conditions of cocoa farmers and their families and workers; raising the opportunities for cocoa farmers to participate in the decision making processes behind cocoa marketing; and improving the conditions of the cocoa farmers’ natural resources (Vogel, 2009).

Table 4:

Source: Field survey, 2016

Constraints to cocoa production

The result in Table 4 showed that birds’ disturbance (86.3%), climate change (84.2%) and inadequate rainfall (84.2%) were the most serious problem confronting rice farming in the study area. Also, inadequate finance (78.9%) constituted another major impediment to rice farming in the study area. This agrees with the findings of Oyediran, (2013) that poor financing of agriculture is a major bottleneck to the growth and development of agricultural sector in Nigeria. This was followed by poor market system (77.9%), pest and diseases incidence (71.6%) and poor soil fertility (57.8%). Similarly, rice farming activities were affected by land tenure system (36.8%), and incidence of fire outbreak (15.8%).

Similarly, the cocoa sector’s labour practices have received public attention, particularly since the international media began reporting on child labour in West Africa resulting in increased consumer demand for cocoa products originating from socially sustainable producers who respect international social standards (Certification Capacity Enhancement, 2012).

Table 4: Distribution based on constraints to cocoa production (n = 90)

Figures in parenthesis are percentages