Unequal Grounds: Gendered Access to Cocoa Productivity-Enhancing Programmes and the Pursuit of Sustainable Cocoa in Ghana

As the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa, Ghana occupies a central position in the global pursuit of sustainable agricultural value chains and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Efforts to promote productivity and sustainability in the cocoa sector are largely driven by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) through input subsidies, pest management, and farmer support programmes. This study examines gender disparities in access to productive resources and sustainability-oriented support services within this context. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study combines quantitative survey data from 532 cocoa farmers with participatory qualitative approaches. Results reveal persistent gender-based inequalities across key domains of production support. Access to loans was limited overall, but significantly more men (12.4%) than women (6.6%) secured credit for production (χ²=5.192, p=0.016). Similarly, men (21.9%) were more likely than women (14.3%) to access input credit (χ²=5.090, p=0.016). Participation in the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme was also gendered, with 70.8% of men and 56.2% of women benefiting (χ²=12.255, p=0.001). Although access to agronomic training was broadly equitable (84.7% men; 84.1% women), men attended more sessions on average (p=0.010). Gender disparities were also observed in pruning service access (65% men; 52.7% women; χ²=8.245, p=0.003), though not in access to agrochemicals or subsidized fertilizer. The findings emphasises enduring structural inequalities that constrain women’s participation in sustainability-enabling interventions. Advancing gender-responsive strategies in Ghana’s cocoa sector is therefore essential to achieving equitable and sustainable development within global agricultural commodity systems.