Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the third highest export commodity of Ghana and represents the most important source of revenue for numerous small scale farmers. Climate change (CC) in the form of higher temperatures and reduced rainfall is expected to adversely affect cocoa productivity and reduce the area suitable for cocoa cultivation in Ghana, but the extent and underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The CLIMCOCOA project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of CC on the socio-biophysical bases of cocoa systems in Ghana, and assess the role of agroforestry (AF) as a model for climate smart agriculture in Ghana. We will use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the socio-biophysical limitations and options for cocoa cultivation under CC, and to assess institutional and socioeconomic
The project will use a multidisciplinary approach to assess the biophysical limitations and options for cocoa cultivation under climate change (WPs 1-3), and to analyze the institutional arrangements and socio-economic factors that favor or limit adoption by farmers of innovative management options (WPs 4 and 5), see figure 1.4 WPs 1, 2 and 3 will all assess cocoa behavior with respect to climate, but using three different approaches at different scales in order to provide a comprehensive and novel understanding of the eco-physiological basis of cocoa production under current and future climate scenarios. WP1 studies yield at country/district level, WP2 assesses cocoa yield at farm level, and WP3 studies cocoa ecophysiology at tree level.