Sadick farms nine acres of land in Ghana for cocoa. He’s been doing this for 18 years and it’s getting increasingly difficult due to the climate crisis. 

Part of his farm lies high on a rocky, steep hillside, unfriendly terrain for cocoa plants. When he first bought the land, he said: “It was so bare rays of sunshine hit the land.”

As cocoa is sensitive to environmental changes, growing the beans is becoming increasingly difficult and uncertain due to rising temperatures, volatile rain patterns and the increased susceptibility of trees to drought. 

Now, since being part of the dynamic agroforestry (DAF) project, Sadick’s farm is protected by the shade of a variety of trees. 

This is a technique he discovered after joining the project, which offers farmers from Sadick’s cooperative training in methods to adapt to climate change by improving soil, planting for shade, and attracting biodiversity. The project is called Sankofa, which means “to return for or retrieve” in the Twi language in Ghana. Launched in 2019 with one of the largest Fairtrade certified cocoa union in Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union, the project brings together cocoa farmers, the Swiss and Danish governments, Swiss chocolate manufacturer Halba, retailer Coop Switzerland, and Fairtrade Max Havelaar Switzerland, among others. The goal is to increase climate resilience and improve farmer incomes.

Dynamic agroforestry is a key component of the project, combining agricultural cultivation and agroforestry. Farmers create natural forest-like systems that support a large variety of different food crops. Soil fertility improves, risk of pests and disease decreases, and there is extra food and income from the additional trees and plants.  

Sadick explains that now the farmers do not apply chemicals to the land, because the legumes they plant add extra nutrients as well as income whilst they wait for the cocoa to grow.

“I didn’t know I was punishing the land, now because of this project I’ve seen the benefits, there are more nutrients in the soil.”

As of late 2022, 862 plots covering 215 hectares had been converted to dynamic agroforestry with hundreds of thousands of new seedlings. An additional 1,000 hectares were planted according to diversified food systems practices. About 2,900 farmers had been trained, and were earning between 25 and 125 percent more thanks to the additional cash crops they have planted.