Can sustainability certification enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers? The case of Ghanaian cocoa

This research assessed what role sustainability certification can play in enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate shocks. They did this by taking the case of smallholder cocoa production in Ghana, the second largest cocoa producer in the world, and comparing certified and non-certified systems, namely: UTZ, Rainforest Alliance (RA) and Organic. The focus was laid on UTZ, RA and Organic certifications as they are prominent both globally as well as in Ghana.

The study found out that certification has strong effects on aspects of farm management that support resilience, but the effects of certification become weaker as the complexity of the resilience-enhancing practices increase. Sustainability certification in its current form is not a sufficient tool for improving the climate resilience of smallholders. Specifically, existing certifications suffer from major gaps between ambition and implementation on the ground, in terms of standards, training, adopted practices and outcomes.