Impact of producer group membership on the adoption of sustainable cocoa practices

Data collection occurred from August to October 2023, targeting farmers who are part of cooperatives and other self-help farmer associations. The study evaluated the impact of these producer groups on the adoption of sustainable crop practices (SCPs) and farm performance, using three distinct groups. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. Initially, a list of cocoa producer groups in five districts was obtained from district cocoa cooperative officers. Then, a purposive sampling method was used to select three districts from the Ashanti region and two from the Ahafo region, based on input from agricultural extension officers regarding the presence of cooperatives and other farmer associations. The districts included in the study were Agona, Ahafo Ano Southwest, Ahafo Ano Southeast, Asunafo North, and Asunafo South. From these districts, 20 communities were chosen based on the presence of cooperatives and farmer associations. Within each producer group, ten members were randomly selected. After data cleaning and excluding missing data, the analysis included 193 cooperative members and 144 members from other self-help farmer associations.