Enabling environment drivers for zero-deforestation cocoa value chains and sustainable land practices in Ghana

Cocoa production is vital to Ghana’s rural economy but continues to contribute to deforestation and remains vulnerable to climate variability and evolving sustainability requirements. This study examines the enabling environment for achieving zero-deforestation cocoa value chains in Ghana, focusing on sustainable production practices, prioritized and bundled innovations, and the policy, institutional, social, and incentive factors shaping their adoption. Using a mixed methods approach, the study draws on a literature review, focus group discussions with cocoa farmers, and key informant interviews with actors across the cocoa value chain. The findings indicate strong stakeholder consensus around agroforestry, improved and climate-resilient planting materials, integrated pest management, and sustainable soil and crop management as key practices for reducing deforestation, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening farm resilience. However, adoption is constrained by land and tree tenure insecurity, high input costs, limited access to finance and extension services, weak forest governance, and limited participation of women and youth. Although Ghana has established a relatively robust policy framework through initiatives such as the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, the Ghana Cocoa Forest Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus Program, and emerging traceability systems aligned with the EU Deforestation Regulation, gaps in coordination and incentive alignment persist. The study concludes that scaling zero-deforestation cocoa requires a stronger enabling environment built around bundled innovations, improved tenure security, inclusive incentives such as premium pricing and payment for ecosystem services, and enhanced multi-stakeholder coordination to align forest conservation with farmer livelihoods and national development goals.