Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. The essentials united.
Cargill and Care: in the community (8/6/2009)
In July 2006 we began the Cargill rural education project with Care International in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The project started in 30 communities in the two cocoa districts and has since been extended to 70 communities to:
- assist cocoa farmers to increase cocoa production
- improve educational opportunities for children and eliminate child labour
The main successes:
- Increased district support - Each District Assembly has built 3 different classroom blocks for 3 different communities as a result of the high enrolment rate in schools.
- Farmers embracing new skills - Outdated ideas on farming practices are being discarded as farmers are now embracing new farming skills and implementing the modern farming practices taught by the district agriculture extension officers.
- Increased Cocoa Output - 14, 000 cocoa farmers have directly benefited from the project and the average farmer cocoa production rates have increased significantly.
- Organised farmer groups - have been established for communal weeding and to raise seedlings for sale in cocoa nurseries.
- Increased farmer attendance in both districts
Akosua Bempah, a 52 year old cocoa farmer from Kunsu Cam, has spent her whole life in cocoa production. Participating in the farmer group system and assistance from CARE has helped her to double her cocoa yield:
"This is all because I can now apply modern methods of farming, and have easy access to spraying machines and farming inputs. I now keep records of my farm expenditures and incomes and I see farming as a profitable venture. My income from cocoa production has doubled and I invest the money meaningfully in my children"