Can sustainability certification enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers? The case of Ghanaian cocoa
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Author / Producer
Date
2022
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Sustainability certification has been posited as a key governance mechanism to enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers. Whilst many certifications now include climate resilience in their standards, their ability to deliver this for smallholders remains untested. We take the case of the 2015-16 drought-shock to cocoa production in Ghana to examine whether certification can enhance smallholder climate resilience. We used a novel transdisciplinary methodology combining participatory outcome definition with household surveys, biophysical measurements, satellite data and counterfactual analysis. Utilising our climate resilience framework, we find that certification has a strong effect on the adoption of basic management, e.g. fertilization, but a weak influence on more complex resilience strategies, e.g. agroforest diversification. Beyond certification, we identify strong regional patterns in resilience. These findings suggest that certification has some potential to enhance climate resilience but greater focus on facilitating diversification and adapting to subnational contexts is required for improved effectiveness.
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Publication status
published
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Book title
Journal / series
Volume
17 (1)
Pages / Article No.
407 - 428
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Sustainability certification; resilience; smallholder; food system governance; climate change; rural livelihoods
Organisational unit
02351 - TdLab / TdLab
03982 - Six, Johan / Six, Johan
09659 - Garrett, Rachael (ehemalig) / Garrett, Rachael (former)