The country director of Socodevi, a Canadian non-governmental organization committed to improving the lives of farmers through sustainable and inclusive cooperatives, has bemoaned the threat posed by illegal mining on cocoa production.

Nicolas Demers-Labrousse observed the cocoa sector is under threat with limited alternative income generation activities available to farmers, especially the youth.

Galamsey continues to ravage vegetation, including farmlands and forest reserves.

Assurances by successive governments to deal with the menace have failed as scientists warn of the presence of cyanide, mercury, and other hard metals used by illegal miners for gold processing in the food stream of Ghanaians.

Here is Margaret Frimpong Ayerekwa, Deputy Director at the Cocoa Health and Extension Division at Cocobod, who says cocoa farms are being seized for illegal mining activities.

Speaking in an interview with Joynews on the sidelines of an event to introduce cocoa seedlings to farmers at Adokwai in the Ashanti region, she appealed for the government’s intervention.

“I just got to know through discussions with some farmers that even yesterday, the miners or the galamseyers took over a woman’s farm without permission from even the woman forcefully, they’ve gone into the cocoa farm. It’s quiet disturbing and it is worrying.”

 She continued, “Imagine these cocoa seedlings; the amount of money Socodevi - our partners. Have spent making sure we get all these seedlings. We plant and the next minute, you come back, you don’t see the cocoa seedlings on the field; it’s gone.  At the end of the day, all these things come back to us.Its not like somebody is doing galamsey and the impact won’t be felt. It’s been felt in our communities-our livelihoods, our health issues too. It’s really serious. So I just pleading with our farmers and the government that galamsey fight should be handled seriously.”

Socodevi, through its TogetHER—Women and Cocoa Communities Initiative, focused on empowering women and youth in cocoa-producing communities in the Ashanti and Western North Regions by using plant nurseries as an alternative income generation activity for farmers.

Socodevi with the support of partners is providing plant nursery to women

The not for profit organization introduced new plant seedlings to cooperative farmers at Adokwai in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti region.

But its country director, Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, says the threat of illegal mining in the cocoa sector is real.

“We need to be frank and transparent about it. Cocoa sector is in danger with the galamsey, with the illegal mining. We see it everywhere. If you drive to Adokwai or if you go to different parts of the Ashanti region, you'll see major forests deforested, that we don't see any trees,” he said.

“You see the illegal mining, so yes, definitely a threat to the cocoa business,” he added.

He wants the government of Ghana to partner with Socodevi to provide alternative livelihoods to the youth through nurseries, poultry and animal rearing, as well as maize, cassava, dairy processing.

“We see a lot of youth going to the gallamsey. But if the needs are there, but unfortunately the income is not there, we need to find some solution for the youth, for the women ;  for the farmers.

Instead of selling the farm or burning the trees to do some illegal mining, there are some alternatives. One of the alternatives is the tree nursery. Another alternative is not only to concentrate only on the cocoa industry during four months of the year, but to continue with other income generating activities.”

“I'm talking about poultry, animal rearing, maize, cassava, dairy processing. And Sokodevi is there to position the cooperative, the youth, the women, and the union to do something different, to do something greater, and to receive more income from those income generating activities to make sure that there's a future for those youth. “

Socodevi to the rescue of women in cocoa growing areas

The Women and Cocoa Communities Initiative (TogetHER) is led by Socodevi.

It is aimed at strengthening the resilience of cocoa-growing families through technical assistance, establishment of agroforestry systems, and innovative agricultural risk management mechanisms in the face of increased vulnerability of cocoa-growing communities to economic shocks and climate change.

It promotes collective savings, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion, while contributing to the long-term resilience of the cocoa sector and the fair distribution of economic benefits and opportunities.