Who really knows what's in the spray?
Most cocoa farmers lean on pesticides to fight pests and disease β yet awareness of which are approved is strikingly low, and lowest of all among the women increasingly central to the cocoa supply chain.
Low awareness, unequal knowledge
In addressing pests and disease, most cocoa farmers rely on pesticides β approved or not β often without knowing which is which.
Awareness of approved and unapproved pesticides is low among cocoa farmers in the Western North of Ghana, with women β increasingly central to the supply chain β least aware of all. Our assessment of the gender dynamics of highly hazardous pesticides made the gap plain.
Pesticides that are chanced upon get used without knowledge of their appropriate use β a serious risk to cocoa and the wider environment.
Who could identify highly hazardous pesticides
Share of cocoa farmers able to identify some HHPs, by gender β Western North landscape.
A thirteen-fold gap β and a clear signal that awareness efforts must reach women cocoa farmers directly.
The knowledge gap has consequences
Reach women farmers
Women play significant and growing roles in the cocoa supply chain, yet are least aware of which pesticides are safe and approved.
Used Without Knowledge
Pesticides are applied without understanding their appropriate use.
Risk to Cocoa
Wrong products threaten the quality of the cocoa produced.
Risk to Environment
And to the wider environment across the landscape.
The pesticides research series
Close the awareness gap
Help us bring pesticide-safety knowledge to every cocoa farmer β women and men alike.