Monitoring Cocoa Expansion into Croplands in Ghana Cocoa Forest Mosaic Landscape: A Case Study of Juabeso District

This research provides useful insights into land use dynamics in the cocoa-forest mosaic landscape and other contexts of cocoa expansion, which are often overlooked in the policy discourse, as well as the formulation of sustainability interventions in the cocoa landscape and value chain. This study draws on remote sensing applications in crop land area mapping in cocoa landscapes to focus greater attention on the implications of cropland area loss, due to cocoa expansion. This will inform policy and interventions in the landscape to minimize possible negative effects of cropland area loss on food security and livelihoods within cocoa landscapes.A survey of 407 farmers in the Juabeso District to unravel the dynamics, reasons and complexities of croplands conversion to cocoa and its implications on food security. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for the survey. The communities selected were - Juabeso Nkwanta, Kwaokrom, Antobia, Adiembra, Helehele, Gyato, Eluibo, Abono, Mafia, Abrokofe, Brekrom, Boinzan, Seniagyokrom, and Adwumam.