On July 11, the  GCCFA had the pleasure of engaging with stakeholders from the regional Lands and Forestry Commissions in Kumasi, CSOs including Agriterra Ghana and Solidaridad West Africa and Assembly members. This forms part of activities under the Forest and Farm Facility.

The aim was to deliberate on the issues affecting cocoa farmers invited from Freedom and Unity, Amansieman, and Baakoye Cocoa Farmers Cooperative unions.
We discussed the effects of mining on cocoa farm yields, land registration matters, and tree registration. One key point that emerged was the need for sensitization on who can legally enter a farm with a license and claim to have the authority to mine there.

Again, farmers need to be educated on the licenses required for legal mining operations, how the Lands Commission values destroyed trees on cocoa farms, and how to engage with the Lands Commission in registering land and understanding the related fees.
As a farmer-based organization, we keenly look forward to such engagements to gain knowledge that informs our decisions and also explore potential collaborations for the welfare of cocoa farmers.