Ghana Cocoa Research Articles

Distribution of free and total aluminium in some cocoa-growing soils of Ghana

The Western Region of Ghana is currently carrying the bulk of Ghana's cocoa, and so it is important to investigate the amounts and distribution of total and free Al oxides in some cocoa-growing soils from the region. Six soil series belonging to one major compound association of soils occurring in a toposequence, the Yakasi-Elubo/Oda Compound Association, was used. Soil profile pits of 1 m2 and to different depths were prepared for each soil series, and soil sampled from different genetic horizons of the profiles and analysed for total and free Al oxide contents and other soil properties. The amount of total and free Al oxide in the profiles increased with depth. The mean values for total and free Al oxides for the surface soils (A-horizons) were 505.7 and 194.3 mmoles Al2O3/kg soil, respectively, and those for the B-horizons were 648.9 and 289.5 mmoles Al2O3/kg soil, respectively. The pattern of distribution of total and free Al oxides were similar and closely related to the distribution of clay. Except in the lowland soil where pH was higher in the A-horizon, pH generally decreased with depth where there was maximum accumulation of Al oxides. The upland soils contained higher amounts of Al than the lowland soils of the catena. The higher amounts of Al in the soils may limit cocoa cultivation. Ghana Jnl.agric. Sci Vol.32(1), 1999: 101-108

Cocoa Diseases and Politics in Ghana, 1909-1966

Painstakingly researched, this book adopts a multi-disciplinary interpretation of the intricate dynamics between scientific research, revolutionary nationalism, and their impact on Ghana's cocoa economy and society under British rule.

Survey of Ghanaian cocoa farmer fermentation practices and their influence on cocoa flavour

A survey of 56 cocoa farms in Ghana was carried out during the 1986 main crop to assess the influence of fermentation practices (post-harvest pod storage, cultivar, weight of ferments, number of turns and timing, drying) on quality. Variations in the frequency of turning of the ferments was noted with cocoa-producing region and cultivar. Sensory evaluation of chocolate samples made from the cocoa beans indicated that a short pod-storage and fermentation with a single turn after three days produced the most acceptable cocoa. The acceptability varied by region with the Eastern region producing the most acceptable cocoa. As with acceptability, chocolate flavour significantly improved with a short pod-storage time. A composite sample was average in terms of its sensory characteristics, supporting the concept that blending facilitates the balanced flavour characteristic of Ghana cocoa.

Effect of fermentation and drying practices on the chemical and physical profiles of Ghana cocoa

A series of 12 cocoa fermentations were carried out at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana in 1987. The cocoa fermentations were varied by cultivar (Amelonado, Amazon and Hybrid), post-harvest pod storage time (1 and 7 days) and fermentation method (heap and box). During each fermentation, chemical (sugars, ethanol, organic acids and pH) and physical (moisture, temperature and pulp cotyledon ratio) changes were monitored. A large number (104) of statistically significant differences were found, indicating that the choice of cultivar, method of fermentation and duration of post-harvest pod storage, affect the chemical and physical profiles of cocoa fermentations. However, after the fermented beans were either sun or mechanically dried, the quality of the beans as measured by the cut-test and organic acid concentration, revealed only one significant difference, that of a higher proportion of mouldy beans when the beans had been subjected to the longer 7-day pod-storage period prior to splitting and fermenting.

The efficiency of share contracts in Ghana's cocoa industry

Social anthropologists have contributed significantly to our understanding of the consistency between observed labour contracts in the Ghana cocoa industry and the cultural historical development of the country. This article contributes to the ongoing research efforts in this area by demonstrating that the observed labour contracts are also efficient and consistent with the predictions of economic theory. It concludes that joint efforts by anthropologists and economists may be one effective way to proceed in seeking insights into a labour market that is so deeply rooted in the culture of a people.

Intraregional trade in West Africa: Impacts of Ghana's cocoa exports and economic growth

Agricultural trade between West African countries increased rapidly during the 1960s and early 1970s, but has been declining since the 1970s. This article uses available data on individual commodity imports to test whether the policy environment in Ghana influences its imports from regional markets. The results show that the dramatic fall in the country's imports of bovine cattle from the regional market has been largely caused by the decline in economic and export performance. The country's imports of rice and wheat are sensitive to real exchange rate and world market prices, implying that overvaluation of the national currency resulted in increased imports and consumption of these commodities to the disadvantage of grains produced in the region.

Innovation adoption behaviour of Ghana cocoa farmers

The extent to which Ghana cocoa farmers have adopted recommended cocoa practices; whether correct knowledge of recommended practices leads to adoption, and whether the source of information affects the adoption process were studied. A sample of 1191 cocoa farmers was interviewed using a questionnaire. The analysis shows that, on average, cocoa farmers have adopted two innovations and have correct knowledge on three out of five selected recommended practices. Farmers do not necessarily adopt the innovations on which they receive correct knowledge. Farmers use the Cocoa Production Division as the source of information on more technical recommendations while they depend mostly on friends and relatives for information on less complex innovations. To increase cocoa production, Extension Officers have to motivate cocoa farmers to adopt the recommended practices through systematic instructional activities.

The Ant Mosaic in Ghana Cocoa Farms: Further Structural Considerations

The Ant Mosaic in Ghana Cocoa Farms: Further Structural Considerations

The Maintenance of the Ant Mosaic in Ghana Cocoa Farms

The Maintenance of the Ant Mosaic in Ghana Cocoa Farms

Differential Class Participation in an African Protest Movement: The Ghana Cocoa Boycott of 1937–38

RÉSUMÉCet article étudie la participation africaine au boycottage du cacao au Ghana en 1937–38 suivant les classes. D'après l'auteur, les organisateurs du boycottage se composaient de marchands et de gros fermiers qui voulaient mettre fin au contrôle sur l'exportation et le marché du cacao par les expatriés. Cependant, d'autres groupes se joignirent à la grève des marchands et des gros fermiers: particulièrement les courtiers en cacao qui craignaient que les nouvelles lois de l'achat du cacao éliminent leurs bénéfices; les commerçantes de marché qui étaient touchées par la fixation des prix des marchandises importées, et mēme les chauffeurs de camions et les piroguiers, tous touchés par le contrôle oligopole, par les expatriés, du marché du cacao. Finalement, mēme les paysans pauvres et paysans sans terres des territoires du Nord et des colonies françaises furent convaincus de participer au boycottage, mais leur support était faible car ils savaient que les gros fermiers et les marchands, surtout, allaient en bénéficier. Tous ces groupes de la société ghanéenne ont soutenu le boycottage jusqu'à ce qu'une Commission royale négocie un compromis entre les firmes de cacao expatriées et ses dirigeants.

Differential Class Participation in an African Protest Movement: The Ghana Cocoa Boycott of 1937-38

Differential Class Participation in an African Protest Movement: The Ghana Cocoa Boycott of 1937-38

Ghana Cocoa farmers—income, expenditure relationships

This paper examines the hypothesis [Hill, 1963, 1971 pp. 21–29] that the cocoa farmer of Ghana is to be regarded as a rural capitalist rather than a stereotyped peasant producer. To test this, one aspect of entrepreneurial behaviour of particular interest to the economist is selected, viz. low marginal propensity to consume. The limited evidence on Ghana cocoa farmers’ income and expenditure is analysed to see whether these individuals do in fact exhibit the low consumption propensities typical of the entrepreneurial class. In view of the limitations inherent in the data, conclusions can only be tentative but at the very least no refutation of the hypothesis is apparent.

The ant mosaic in Ghana cocoa farms

The distribution of ants in a 2·25-ha cocoa plantation at the University of Ghana Agricultural Research Station, Kade, was recorded in December 1970. The 44 species of ants found could be grouped as dominant, co-dominant, sub-dominant and nondominant. Oecophylla longinoda (Latr.) and Macromischoides aculeatus (Mayr) were mutually exclusive as were six Crematogaster spp.; the latter were also exclusive of O. longinoda and M. aculeatus. Camponotus acvapimensis Mayr became dominant under insolated conditions, and Platythyrea frontalis Emery for reasons unknown. The distribution of these ant species in cocoa plantations resembles a three-dimensional mosaic which is preserved by their aggressiveness and by competition for food and nesting sites. It is suggested that this mosaic is due to vegetative succession.

The Relative Distributions of Ant Species in Ghana's Cocoa Farms

The Relative Distributions of Ant Species in Ghana's Cocoa Farms

Collaborative Study of a Method for the Analysis of Cocoa Beans for Aflatoxins

Abstract Results from 10 collaborating laboratories were used to evaluate a method for the determination of aflatoxins in cocoa beans. Two types of raw cocoa beans, one from Trinidad and one from Ghana, were intentionally contaminated with aflatoxins at levels of 8 to 35 μg/kg. Mean recoveries of all aflatoxins from all samples ranged from 57 to 104%; mean recoveries of aflatoxin B1 from Ghana cocoa beans were 83 to 97%. The method has been adopted as official first action.

Household Saving Behavior in the Developing Economies: The Indonesian Case

Econometric research on the determinants of household saving based on micro data drawn from the less developed countries has lagged far behind the pace set in advanced nations. It would appear that there has been limited hypothesis-testing in the LDC's beyond macro formulations of the consumption function. Furthermore, very little of the development literature attempts to isolate the impact of structural change on aggregate personal saving, since few studies provide meaningful disaggregation. This state of affairs seems paradoxical, given the currency of W. A. Lewis's remark that the central problem in development theory is to explain an increase in domestic saving from 4 or 5 percent of national income to 12 or 15 percent.1 The dearth of empirical evidence on household saving appears all the more peculiar, given the current emphasis which marginal savings rates enjoy in a flourishing crop of growth models. Most of these ignore the sectoral components of savings, with their divergent behavior, and concentrate instead on aggregate savings performance. Per capita income, which is introduced as the independent variable, is required (a) to capture virtually all of the distributional changes underlying the growth process, and (b) to capture changes in other variables which have a significant impact on savings behavior, whether of households, corporations, or governments. The recent, and highly aggregative, Chenery-Strout model is just one example ;2 most growth models make aggregate domestic savings a simple function of per capita income, either current or lagged.3 On the one hand, this approach may yield simple, well behaved models and reasonably useful short-run forecasts. On the other hand, it offers only limited insight into the development process and contributes little to the policymaker who seeks to understand the savings decision and how he might act upon it. Furthermore, household saving is usually left in the background, while the government and corporate sector receive attention as the major contributors to high marginal saving rates. This state of affairs, if we have described it fairly, certainly cannot be