Sustainable Pathways: Exploring Farmers' Perceptions of Cocoa Certification Programme in South-West, Nigeria

The significance of sustainable cocoa production has been widely studied using various methods and models, however, the farmers’ viewpoints on cocoa certification programme remained largely unexplored. This study attempts to examine the perceptions of farmers on certification programme towards sustainable cocoa production in the South-West, of Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedures were used to collect primary data through the aid of a well-structured questionnaire from three hundred and sixty (360) cocoa farmers (certified and non-certified) in Ondo, Osun and Ogun States. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean and percentage as well as Independent T-test were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that the majority (68.9%) of the respondents were male, and also married which implies that they have access to family labour. The main reason why non-certified cocoa farmers did not participate in the programme is due to inadequate awareness, while the major bodies creating awareness on cocoa certification are the exporters and the License buying agents. The study further revealed that the promotion of good agricultural practices, provision of premium on cocoa beans sold, and access to market linkages were perceived and ranked highest among the certified farmers. The major constraints identified with the programme are pest and disease, delay in premium payment, climate change, and inadequate storage facilities. The results of the T-test revealed that there were significant differences between both the income and the output of certified cocoa farmers and that of non-certified cocoa farmers. The study therefore recommended that more awareness of cocoa certification programmes should be created not only by the cocoa Exporters and Licensed buying agents, but also by Government agencies and institutions, and policymakers should also work to ensure that certified farmers receive fair and competitive premium prices for their cocoa beans.