Cocobod rolls out innovative program to connect ghana cocoa farmers
through mobile phones, improving livelihoods and helping families
Accra, ghana--(business wire)--the ghana cocoa board (cocobod) announced today that its cocoalink program is now providing text messages to all ghanaian farmers with access to cell phones. cocoalink, a unique farmer outreach program with the world cocoa foundation and the hershey company, expects to reach 100,000 ghanaians in cocoa communities by 2014. “cocoalink – connecting cocoa communities” cocoalink, first announced in march 2011, is an innovative technology program that provides ghanaian cocoa farmers with critical agricultural and social information that benefits farm families and their communities and enables farmers to ask specific cocoa growing questions and share learnings with other farmers. one early cocoalink user from a cocoa farm in sefwi akontombra district commented, “i am happy to be part of cocoalink. when i have a problem on the farm i can text or call for help and they will help me. i have registered with my husband’s phone number and when i get the message; my children can help me read it. i’m expecting that it will help us in the community.” cocoalink uses voice and sms text messages delivered in local languages (twi) and english to connect cocoa farmers with useful information about improving farming practices, farm safety, child labor, health, crop disease prevention, post-harvest management practices and produce marketing – all at no charge. farmers will also be able to share information and receive answers to specific questions relating to their cocoa farming livelihoods with experts at the cocoa research institute of ghana (crig). ghana has mobile phone coverage across approximately 85 percent of its geography and more than 65 percent of rural residents have access to mobile phones. “the national rollout of cocoalink by cocobod and our partners hershey and the world cocoa foundation is another outstanding example of how we are helping our farmers become more knowledgeable and more productive,” said anthony fofie, chief executive officer of cocobod. “cocoalink has the potential to be one of our most innovative and cost effective agriculture extension tools. through its practical information, strong literacy training and ease of use, we are quite confident that the cocoalink will accelerate the transfer of knowledge, improving the lives of many ghanaian farmers.” since march 2011, some 1,500 farmers in 15 western region communities have already signed up to participate. cocoalink is on track to reach 8,000 ghanaian cocoa farmers and family members by 2012 and more than 100,000 by the end of 2014. commented tawiah agyarko-kwarteng of world education, which is leading the technology and community training programs, “cocoalink is truly the right program at the right time. it is building on ghana’s growing capabilities in mobile technology to help farmers grow quality cocoa, increase family income and expanding opportunities for their children and communities.” for more information about the cocoalink program, please visit www.worldcocoafoundation.org/what-we-do/current-programs/cocoalink.asp about the ghana cocoa board the ghana cocoa board traces its beginning further back to the cocoa hold-up of 1937 and was formally established by ordinance in 1947 with the sum of ¢27 million (ghana's share of the net profit of the west african produce control board) as its initial working capital. in 1957, the late dr. kwame nkrumah the then president of the republic of ghana, laid the foundation stone to mark the construction of cocoa house at liberty avenue, accra, to provide offices for the board. cocoa house represents a concrete expression of the board's faith in the future of the cocoa industry and is a monument to the hard work of the ghanaian farmer. about the hershey company the hershey company (nyse: hsy) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in north america and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. headquartered in hershey, pa., the hershey company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. with revenues of more than $5 billion, hershey offers such iconic brands as hershey's, reese's, hershey's kisses, kit kat, twizzlers and ice breakers as well as the smooth, creamy indulgence of hershey's bliss chocolates. hershey is a leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such brands as hershey's special dark and hershey's extra dark. in addition, artisan confections company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the hershey company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as scharffen berger and dagoba. for more than 100 years, the hershey company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and do business. milton hershey school, established by the company's founder in 1909, provides a nurturing environment, quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. the school is administered by the hershey trust company, hershey's largest shareholder, making the students of milton hershey school direct beneficiaries of hershey's success. about the world cocoa foundation the world cocoa foundation (wcf) is an international membership foundation that promotes a sustainable cocoa economy by providing cocoa farmers with the tools they need to grow more and better cocoa, market it successfully, and make greater profits. these efforts help increase the supply of cocoa and help guarantee chocolate lovers access to their favorite products. wcf's membership includes cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers, and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of the global cocoa market.
