Can sustainability certification enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers? The case of Ghanaian cocoa. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: W.J, Thompson; W.J, Blaser-Hart; J, Joerin; P, Krütli; E, Dawoe; B, Kopainsky; E., Chavez; R.D, Garrett; J, Six
• Is Part Of: Journal of land use science. Volume 17:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 407
• Page End: 428
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Sustainability certification -- resilience -- smallholder -- food system governance -- climate change -- rural livelihoods; Land use -- Periodicals; 333.7313
• DOI: 10.1080/1747423X.2022.2097455
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-423X

Abstract

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 sub-national contexts is required for improved effectiveness.